BURUNDI
- NEGOTIATIONS.
ARUSHA REACHES ITS DELIVERY STAGE ...
BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 28, 2000 (NET PRESS).
WHILE THIS 28 AUGUST, 2000 DAY IS OVERWHELMED WITH BY ACTIVITIES AND POLITICAL
ARRANGEMENTS AT ARUSHA, NOBODY KNOWS YET WHETHER THE ACCORDS SHALL OR SHALL
NOT BE SIGNED IF ONE BEARS IN MIND THE DEADLINES INITIALLY FIXED.
ACCORDING TO INFORMATION REACHING "NET PRESS" FROM ARUSHA, FOLLOWING THE
G 10 GROUP REFUSAL TO SIGN THE ACCORD IN ITS ACTUAL WORDING, MR. MANDELA
HAS BEEN BUSY AT "BRINGING TO REASON" G 10 DELEGATES. HE HAS EVEN THREATENED
" TO RESIGN BUT THAT DID NOT EVEN SEEM TO MOVE AT ALL SOME G 10 LEADERS",
A GERMANY-BASED " BURUNDI BUREAU" SAYS, QUOTING ALSO AN OBSERVER BASED
AT ARUSHA ACCORDING TO WHOM "SOME G 10 LEADERS ARE QUITE ADAMANT". THE
SAME "BURUNDI BUREAU" WAS WRITING TODAY THAT "A COUP
D'ETAT MAY EVENTUALLY TAKE PLACE AT BUJUMBURA". OTHER ARUSHA-BASED
SOURCES SAY THAT ALL G 10 DELEGATES MIGHT BE GIVEN A $US 19,000 BRIBE EACH
BY THE MEDIATION, SO TO MAKE THEM SIGN. THE HEADS OF STATE PRESENT
AT ARUSHA TO ATTEND THE SIGNING CEREMONIES OF THE SAID ACCORDS HELD TODAY
A MEETING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS TO PERSUADE THE G 10 TO SIGN.
BURUNDI - SECURITY.
INSECURITY IS INCREASING IN BUJUMBURA CITY
AT THE EVE OF THE SIGNING OF ARUSHA ACCORDS.
BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 28, 2000 (NET PRESS).
AT THE EVE OF THE SIGNING OF ARUSHA ACCORDS, INSECURITY HAS INCREASED SINCE
YESTERDAY EVENING. IN FACT, AT AROUND 19,30 O'CLOCK, TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS
ARRIVING FROM BUJUMBURA RURAL PROVINCE ATTACKED GIHOSHA, GIKUNGU AND GASENYI
QUARTERS, RESULTING IN 7 CASUALTIES, 5 WOUNDED AND 3 BURNED VEHICLES AND
A LOT OF PROPERTY LOOTED BY PALIPEHUTU-FNL HORDES. ALL THE
VICTIMS LIVED NEAR KAMENGE NEURO-PSHYCHIATRIC CENTER. INITIALLY,
TUTSI PEOPLE WHO HAD RECENTLY RESETTLED THERE WERE TO BE THE TARGETS OF
THE ATTACK, BUT THE KILLINGS RAPIDLY DEGENERATED AND HUTU PEOPLE
WERE VICTIMS, AMONG WHOM MR. FIDELE NZIRUBUSA, DIRECTOR OF BURUNDI CENTER
FOR THE PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND GENOCIDE PREVENTION. THOUGH, HE HAD
JUST GIVEN THEM MONEY, THEY NEVERTHELESS WOUNDED HIS WIFE AND SET HIS OFFICIAL
CAR INTO FIRE.
IN SPITE OF CALLS OF THE MINISTER FOR INTERIOR
AND PUBLIC SECURITY AND THE DEFENCE MINISTER TO REMAIN CALM, THIS MORNING,
FEAR AND PANICK WERE VISIBLE ON PEOPLE'S FACES LIVING IN THE AREA. SOME
OF THEM HAVE EVEN THOUGHT IT MORE CAREFUL TO FLEE IN OTHER QUARTERS. THERE
HAD BEEN PREMONITORY SIGNS OF THE ATTACK SINCE HUTU PEOPLE TRADING IN A
SMALL MARKET PLACE OF GIHOSHA NEIGHBORHOOD HAD USUALLY CLOSED THEIR STALLS
TOO EARLY, PROBABLY TO KEEP AWAY FROM TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS. IT IS TO BE
NOTED THAT THE MILITARY POSITION OF GIHOSHA PRIMARY SCHOOL WAS ATTACKED
FIRST AND VALIANTLY CONTAINED THE ATTACK FORCING THE TERRORIST-GENOCIDERS
TO RUN AWAY. ALONGSIDE THE HEAVY SHELLING IN GIHOSHA, GRENADE EXPLOSIONS
WERE HEARD DURING THE SAME NIGHT IN SOME SOUTH QUARTERS OF THE CAPITAL
SUCH AS MUSAGA AND KANYOSHA. THIS MORNING, ONE PERSON WAS ARRESTED BY POLICE
ON 'AVENUE DE L'UNIVERSITE' ABOUT TO THROW A GRENADE. ANOTHER GRENADE WAS
UNVEILED BY DEFENCE FORCES IN MUSAGA, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE 1st AND 2nd
AVENUES.
BURUNDI - NEGOTIATIONS.
ACCORDING TO SOUTH AFRICAN PAPER "THE INDEPENDENT",
"MANDELA'S ROLE MIGHT SERVE AS A CATALYST OF A NEW GENOCIDE IN BURUNDI".
PRETORIA, AUGUST 28, 2000 (NET PRESS).
ACCORDING TO SOUTH AFRICAN PAPER "THE INDEPENDENT" QUOTING MR. STEVE MORRISON
OF WASHINGTON-BASED "CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES", "MANDELA
CONTINUES TO COMPARE BURUNDI TO PRE-APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA WHILE THE SITUATION
FOR BOTH COUNTRIES IS QUITE DIFFERENT. WOUNDS HAVE HENCE BEEN OPENED ANEW
AND ANOTHER GENOCIDE MIGHT HAPPEN", ADDING THAT THE SITUATION IS MUCH SIMILAR
TO THE ONE THAT PREVAILED SHORTLY BEFORE THE 1994 RWANDAN GENOCIDE". IF
MANDELA STICKS ON FORCING BARUNDI NEGOTIATORS TO SIGN THAT ACCORD, HIS
ROLE MIGHT BE THEN A CATALYST FOR A NEW GENOCIDE, FINALLY SAID THE
SOUTH-AFRICAN PAPER.
BURUNDI - NEGOTIATIONS.
FOLLOWING RUMORS SURROUNDING THE SIGNING
OF ARUSHA ACCORDS, PEOPLE BEGIN TO FLEE...
CANKUZO, AUGUSST 28, 2000 (NET PRESS).
SOME BURUNDI-BASED OBSERVERS HAVE BEEN WITNESSING PANICK ON POPULATIONS
BOTH IN THE CAPITAL AND IN THE INTERIOR OF THE COUNTRY BECAUSE OF
THE PEACE PROCESS "WHICH IS IN FACT A FALSE ONE", AS A CERTAIN OPINION
TERMS IT. FEAR IS REACHING ITS HEIGHT AS IS APPROACHING THE DAY AND HOUR
OF SIGNING THE SAID ACCORDS. IN ORDER TO AVOID THE "HORRORS OF "AFTER-ARUSHA",
SOME PEOPLE THOUGHT MUCH BETTER TO FLEE. THIS IS THE CASE FOR PEOPLE LIVING
IN THE COMMUNES OF CENDAJURU AND GISAGARA, CANKUZO PROVINCE. IN FACT,
SINCE LAST WEEK, AT LEAST ONE THOUSAND PEOPLE FROM THE SAID COMMUNES FLED
TO TANZANIA FEARING REPRISALS OF THE TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS IN CASE ARUSHA
ACCORDS ARE NOT SIGNED. ANOTHER PART OF THE POPULATION HAS CHOSEN
TO FLEE TO THE NEAREST MILITARY POSITIONS TO AVOID THE WORST. TENSION IS
ALSO PREVAILING IN NEIGHBOURING MUYINGA PROVINCE.
ACCORDING TO CANKUZO-BASED SOURCES,
UNHCR-TANZANIA TRUCKS ARE OPERATING TRANSPORT SERVICE ALONG THE BOARDER
TO COLLECT REFUGEES TO ESTABLISH THEM IN NEWLY BUILT REFUGEE CAMPS ESPECIALLY
ERECTED FOR THAT PURPOSE. THE SAME SOURCES KEEP BLAMING UNHCR-TANZANIA
FOR BEING IN COLLUSION WITH THE TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS SINCE IT, AS WELL
AS TANZANIAN ADMINISTRATION, ALWAYS AVOIDS HAVING ANY CONTACT WITH BURUNDIAN
AUTHORITIES. WHEN SOME PERSONS WERE ASKED ABOUT THEIR EXPECTATIONS IN REGARD
TO ARUSHA ACCORDS, THEY, LIKE OTHER PEOPLE FROM ELSEWHERE IN BURUNDI, ANSWERED
"I AM PREPARED TO MORE WAR THAN PEACE UNTIL CEASE-FIRE", TO SAY THAT SOME
BARUNDI PEOPLE ARE EXPECTING WORSE MOMENTS TO COME.
BURUNDI - LABOUR.
LIFE IS JUST SLOWING DOWN IN BUJUMBURA
...
BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 28, 2000 (NET PRESS).
TODAY, FEAR AND CONCERN ARE SO PRESENT IN EVERYBODY IN BURUNDI THAT MANY
BARUNDI PEOPLE HAVE THOUGHT MUCH BETTER TO STAY HOME UNTIL THEY KNOW THE
OUTCOME OF ARUSHA. THIS MORNING, BUSES BEGAN OPERATE ONLY BY 10 O'CLOCK
AND THERE WERE VERY FEW CARS IN THE STREETS OF THE CAPITAL CITY.
OFFICES WERE QUITE DESERT THIS NOON AND EVEN PRIVATE ENTERPRISES WERE JUST
TICKING OVER. EVEN THE CENTRAL MARKET AND BUYENZI MARKET WERE ALMOST DESERT.
BURUNDI - PEACE PROCESS.
THE SURVIVORS OF GENOCIDE CONTINUE TO DENOUNCE
THE SIGNING OF ARUSHA ACCORDS.
BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 28, 2000 (NET PRESS).
WHILE AT ARUSHA THE LAST BARGAINING IS UNDER WAY BEFORE THE SIGNING OF
THE "PEACE ACCORDS", GENOCIDE SURVIVORS CONTINUE TO REACT OVER THEIR SIGNING.
THIS MORNING, 60 GENOCIDE SURVIVORS LIVING AT NYAKABIGA (BUJUMBURA MAYORSHIP)
ISSUED A STATEMENT BY WHICH THEY NOTED WITH REGRET THAT THE GENOCIDE OF
TUTSI MINORITY PEOPLE BY THE FRODEBU PARTY AND ITS ALLIES IS STILL CONTINUING.
THEY ALSO DEPLORED THAT THOSE FIGHTING AGAINST THE COMPLETION OF THAT "CRIME
OF CRIMES" BY "OPPOSING THE ARUSHA ACCORDS THAT SHALL ONLY LEAD THIS COUNTRY
TOWARDS CATASTROPHE" ARE PROSECUTED. THEY FINALLY REQUESTED THE GOVERNMENT
TO "IMMEDIATELY AND INCONDITIONNALLY" FREE MRS. DIOMEDE RUTAMUCERO AND
PIERRE-CLAVER HAJAYANDI WHO ARE "ARBITRARILY JAILED", AND NOT TO PROSECUTE
ANY MORE PEOPLE FOR THEIR OPINIONS "IF THE LEADERSHIP IS REALLY SEARCHING
FOR PEACE OF BURUNDI".
BURUNDI - DETENTION.
WHEN TWO BROTHER TWINS ARE JOINING EACH
OTHER IN PRISON...
BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 28, 2000 (NET PRESS).
AFTER THE ARREST AND THEN DETENTION OF DOCTOR PIERRE-CLAVER HAJAYANDI OF
COSYBU, IT IS NOW THE TURN OF HIS TWIN BROTHER, MR. RAPHAEL HORUMPENDE,
JRR (RWAGASORE REVOLUTIONARY YOUTH MOVEMENT ) SECRETARY GENERAL AND MEMBER
OF THE COTEBU (BURUNDI TEXTILE COMPANY) STAFF. IN FACT, FROM 14,20 O'CLOCK,
GENDARMES WERE INSTRUCTED TO GET MR. RAPHAEL HORUMPENDE ARRESTED. AS THEY
DID NOT MANAGE TO HOLD HIM STRAIGHT AWAY, THE GENDARMES ENCIRCLED THE COTEBU
PLANT AND BLOCKED ALL THE EXITS. ONE OF THE GENDARMES EVEN BESIEGED MR.
HORUMPENDE'S OFFICE, LOCAL SOURCES SAY. ACCORDING TO FIRST HAND INFORMATION,
THE REASONS OF THE OPERATIONS ARE YET TO BE KNOWN.