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Bujumbura-Burundi.
 
BURUNDI - NEGOTIATIONS.
 
PRESIDENT BUYOYA ON VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA.
 
BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 3, 2000 (NET PRESS). AT THE INVITATION OF FORMER PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA AND MEDIATOR IN THE BURUNDI CONFLICT, NELSON MANDELA, PRESIDENT BUYOYA WENT TO SOUTH AFRICA THIS MORNING AT THE HEAD OF AN IMPORTANT DELEGATION. THE VISIT IS PAID SHORTLY AFTER THE ONE PAID TO BURUNDI BY SOUTH AFRICAN MINISTER FOR DEFENCE, MR. PATRICK MOSIOUA LEKOTA, WHO MIGHT HAVE ALLEGEDLY COME TO ASSESS THE SPIRIT OF BARUNDI LEADERS WHO HAVE DECLARED THAT THEY DO NOT INTEND TO SIGN AN "AGREEMENT WHICH IS UNBALANCED".
 
BURUNDI - NEGOTIATIONS.
 
MINANI-WING OF FRODEBU IS ASKING ITS CHAIRMAN TO "RAPIDLY COMPLETE NECESSARY CONSULTATIONS LEADING  TO THE NOMINATION OF A TRANSITION PRESIDENT".
 
BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 3, 2000 (NET PRESS). MINANI-OBEDIENT FRODEBU HAS JUST RELEASED A DECLARATION INVITING ITS CHAIRMAN "TO RAPIDLY START AND REACH NECESSARY CONSULTATIONS TO OBTAIN A LARGE CONSENSUS AROUND A CHARISMATIC LEADER WHO SHALL RULE THE COUNTRY DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD". MINANI'S FRODEBU REAFFIRMS ITS "FIRM WILLINGNESS TO REACH A PEACE AGREEMENT THROUGH WHICH EVERYBODY WILL COME OUT WINNER". FURTHERMORE, IT REQUESTS OF ITS DELEGATES TO THE ARUSHA NEGOTIATIONS TO SHOW "WISDOM AND ABNEGATION IN ORDER TO REACH APPROPRIATE UNDERSTANDING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE". IT ALSO ASKED ALL THE OTHER NEGOTIATORS TO DO THE SAME SO THAT BARUNDI PEOPLE MAY RECOVER PEACE, SECURITY AND DEMOCRACY SO MUCH NEEDED".
 
MINANI-OBEDIENT FRODEBU ASKS THE "INCUMBENT" GOVERNMENT DURING  "THESE HARD TIMES" NOT "TO ADD FUEL TO THE FLAMES BUT TO PROMOTE ACTIONS THAT CREATE A SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CLIMAX FAVOURABLE TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PEACE ACCORD AND NATIONAL RECONCILIATION". IT FINALLY REQUIRES OF THE NEGOTIATING PARTIES TO SAVE NO EFFORTS SO AS THE CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR CEASING THE HOSTILITIES AND A PERMANENT CEASE-FIRE BE ESTABLISHED IN THE SCOPE OF THE ONGOING GLOBAL PEACE AGREEMENT".
 
BURUNDI - CONFERENCE.
 
A CONFERENCE TO BE ORGANIZED IN CANADA BY PRO-HUTU SCHOLAR RENE LEMARCHAND.
 
MONTREAL, AUGUST 3, 2000 (NET PRESS). A CONFERENCE TO BE ORGANIZED BY "THE PEACE COUNCIL IN THE AFRICAN GREAT LAKES REGION" AND BARUNDI COMMUNITY RESIDING IN CANADA IS PLANNED FOR NEXT SATURDAY, AUGUST 5, 2000 IN MONTREAL (CANADA). IT WILL BE HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEBEC IN MONTREAL (SUBWAY STATION "BERRI-UQAM") FROM 14 -17 O'CLOCK AND THE PANNEL WILL INCLUDE THE FRENCH-AMERICAN SCHOLAR IN POLITICS, MR. RENE LEMARCHAND. THE TOPIC WILL BE  :  "THE ORIGINS OF THE AFRICAN GREAT LAKES CRISIS". ON THAT OCCASION, A MELCHIOR MBONIMPA WILL PRESENT HIS NEW BOOK "THE PAX AMERICANA IN GREAT LAKES AFRICA".
 
MR. LEMARCHAND IS A SCHOLAR IN POLITICS KNOWN FOR HIS SHORT VISION OF BURUNDI AND RWANDA HISTORY AND FOR HIS PRO-HUTU. IN FEBRUARY 2000, THE FRENCH SPECIALIST OF BURUNDI AFFAIRS, THE RESEARCHER JEAN-PIERRE CHRETIEN   WROTE TO SOUTH AFRICAN JAN VAN ECK : "I DARE HOPE THAT THE SOLE ENGLISH WORK ABOUT BURUNDI EVER READ BY PRESIDENT MANDELA IS NOT THE ONE WRITTEN BY THE SCHOLAR IN POLITICS, THE FRENCH-AMERICAN RENE LEMARCHAND READING : "BURUNDI. ETHNOCIDE AS DISCOURSE AND PRACTICE", CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 1994, PAGE 206.
 
"AFTER AN EXCELLENT BOOK WRITTEN IN 1970 IN WHICH HE WAS CRITICIZING RWANDA AND BURUNDI CONTEMPORARY POLICIES, THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN  SYSTEMATICALLY DEFENDING FROM AS EARLY AS 1988 VIEWS ADVOCATING A HUTU UNITED FRONT AND PALIPEHUTU VIEWS IN PARTICULAR (SEE HIS ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN DENMARK IN 1989) AND HE LIKEWISE INVOLVES HIMSELF IN SYSTEMATICALLY DISQUALIFYING THE AUTHORS WHO HIGHLIGHT THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE ETHNICIST TRAP IN THAT REGION. MAY WE ADD HIS OBSTINANCE IN COMPARING BURUNDI TO SOUTH AFRICA, AND THAT EXPLAINS MY CONCERN ...".
 
BURUNDI - SOCIETY.
 
THE FINES IMPOSED UPON POLYGAMY YIELD OVER 1 MILLION BURUNDI FRANCS TO THE COMMUNE OF NYABIKERE (KARUSI PROVINCE).
 
KARUSI, AUGUST 3, 2000 (NET PRESS).  ACCORDING TO OBSERVERS IN THE PROVINCE OF KARUSI, POLYGAMY AND ILLEGAL WEDDINGS   HAVE INCREASED DUE TO THE ONGOING CRISIS. IN FACT, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE CRISIS, WOMEN ARE  OUTNUMBERING MEN AND THE LATTER DO NOT HESITATE TO MARRY 3 OR 4 WOMEN. IN RURAL AREAS, THIS TREND IS ABOUT  TO BE GENERALIZED  WHILE LEGAL MARRIAGES ARE VERY SCARCE.
 
TO CURB THIS ILLEGAL PRACTICE, THE LEADERSHIP OF THE PROVINCIAL  ADMINISTRATION HAS ASKED GRASSROOTS LEADERS TO INITIATE A CENSUS OF ALL POLYGAMOUS AND/OR  ILLEGALLY MARRIED. THE COMMUNE OF NYABIKERE  IS ONE THE MOST WIDESPREAD AND YIELDED LAST YEAR BIF 1 MILLION REPRESENTING FINES IMPOSED ON POLYGAMOUS MEN WHO PAID BIF 10,000 EACH. BUT PROVINCIAL LEADERS ARE NOW FACING A UNEXPECTED PROBLEM : GRASSROOTS LEADERS ARE ALSO DOING THE SAME . MOREOVER ,THE POLYGAMS WHO HAVE PAID A FINE DO NOT GIVE UP SINCE THEY IN FACT FEEL THAT THEY CAN NOT ABANDON THEIR 2nd, 3rd or 4th WIVES FOR WHOM A FINE HAD BEEN PAID MAKING THEM FEEL AS IF THEY HAVE PAID A DOWRY OR BOUGHT THEM.
 
BURUNDI - EDUCATION.
 
TEACHERS FOR THE CHECKING OF THE STATE EXAMINATION ON STRIKE.
 
BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 3, 2000 (NET PRESS). THE STATE EXAMINATION WHICH ALLOWS  SECONDARY SCHOOL GRADUATES TO ENTER THE UNIVERSITY IS NOW BEING CORRECTED SINCE MONDAY JULY 31, 2000. ACCORDING TO ONE OF THE EXAMINATION CORRECTING MEMBER , THEY HAD A PER DIEM OF BIF 2,000. THEY WERE TOLD TO CHECK THE EXAMINATION AND THAT MONEY WAS AVAILABLE. IN THE EVENING OF THE FIRST DAY, THEY WERE GIVEN NOTHING. ON THE SECOND DAY THEY CONTINUED TO DO THE WORK AND ONCE MORE WITH NO PAY. THEY THEREFORE  DECIDED TO STOP CORRECTIONS UNTIL PAYMENT IS DONE. IN THE MARYORSHIP OF BUJUMBURA, THE STRIKE STARTED YESTERDAY WHILE IT HAS SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE TODAY. THIS MORNING, TEACHERS WERE STANDING IN FRONT OF THE CHECKING HALLS BUT THEY DID NOT WORK.
 
BURUNDI - EDUCATION.
 
THERE ARE DIFFICULTIES AHEAD FOR THE KARUSI  COMMUNAL COLLEGE BEFORE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
 
KARUSI, AUGUST 3, 2000 (NET PRESS). KARUSI COMMUNAL COLLEGE IS MAKING PREPARATIONS FOR A NEW SCHOOL YEAR WITH SOME DIFFICULTIES. IT HAS GOT A 10th GRADE SECONDARY SCHOOL AND STARTED ITS ACTIVITIES IN 1994-1995. HOWEVER, THAT COLLEGE DOES NOT YET HAVE PREMICES OF ITS OWN. THEY HAVE BEEN USING FACILITIES OF THE AGRICULTURE TECHNICAL INSTITUTE. THUS, THE LEADERSHIP OF 'ITAB' (BURUNDI AGRICULTURE TECHNICAL INSTITUTE) HAS INFORMED THE SECONDARY SCHOOL OFFICIALS THAT IT WISHES TO RECOVER THE PREMICES LENDED TO THEM.
 
IN SPITE OF LACK OF PREMISES AND SHORTAGE OF STAFF COMPRISING THE DIRECTOR OF THE COLLEGE, HIS ASSISTANT IN CHARGE OF TRAINING PROGRAM, TWO FULL -TIME  TEACHER TRAINING GRADUATES (D7), ONE SUPERVISOR, AND 9 PART-TIME TEACHERS FROM LOCAL CIVIL SERVANTS, LAST YEAR'S  COLLEGE POPULATION TOTALING 70 PUPILS IN FORM 7 WERE SHARING ONLY 24 BENCHES-DESKS, AN AVERAGE OF 3 PUPILS PER BENCH.  IN ADDITION,  A NEW POPULATION OF 70 PUPILS PLUS 30 REPEATERS ARE EXPECTED THIS YEAR.
 
BURUNDI - ECONOMY.
 
THE CENTRAL BANK (BRB) HAS CHANGED ITS REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO THE AUCTION OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE.
 
BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 3, 2000 (NET PRESS). LAST WEEK, THE BRB INITIATED MODIFICATIONS IN HARD CURRENCY AUCTION SALES REGULATIONS. IT WROTE TO COMMERCIAL BANKS AND INFORMED THEM THAT "FROM NOW ON, AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH AUCTION, THE CENTRAL BANK WILL BE FIXING LIMITS BEYOND WHICH THE BIDS WILL BE NOT ACCEPTABLE". TO EXPLAIN THAT MODIFICATION, BRB OFFICIALS SAID THAT THEY MUST "ESTABLISH A RATE WHICH IS CONGRUENT TO  OBJECTIVES OF THIS COUNTRY'S OVERALL ECONOMIC POLICIES".
 
PRIMARILY, THE BANK WHICH HAD THE BEST BID WAS SWEEPING  THE STAKE AT EVERY OTHER AUCTION SALE, BUT FROM NOW ON, IT WILL BE DIFFERENT. THIS WEEK, THE LIMITS FIXED BY THE BRB WERE BIF 762 AT LOWER AND 778 AT HIGHER AGAINST THE DOLLAR. ONLY ONE BANK WAS ABLE TO MEET THOSE CONDITIONS AND IT WON 10 SETS OF US$ 50,000 EACH.  THE 20 OTHER SETS WERE NOT SOLD, BECAUSE, OUT OF THE 6 BANKS WHICH TOOK PART IN THE AUCTION, 2 OF THEM OFFERED HIGHER RATE AND 3 OTHERS, LOWER RATES. THIS WEEK'S AVERAGE RATE (BIF 768 AGAINST US$ 1) WAS FIXED BY THE ONLY WINNING BANK. "NET PRESS" PLEDGES TO KEEP ITS READERS INFORMED ABOUT THE REACTIONS OF THE BANKERS TO THE CHANGES IN ITS NEXT RELEASES.
 

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