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Bujumbura-Burundi.  
BURUNDI - OPINION.
 
BARUNDI PEOPLE ARE TAKEN HOSTAGE BY A SELF-PROCLAIMED LEADERSHIP.
 
BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 6, 2000 (NET PRESS). ON THE EVE OF ARUSHA DEADLINE, VOICES ARE RISING AND TRYING TO COMPETITIVELY OVERWHELM EACH OTHER IN TEACHING BARUNDI PEOPLE MORAL AND WISDOM IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A PEACE PROCESS IN WHICH THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ASSOCIATED.
 
SIX TUTSI-OBEDIENT POLITICAL PARTIES HELD ON AUGUST 4, 2000 A PRESS CONFERENCE AT MERIDIEN HOTEL TO INFORM THE OPINION ABOUT THEIR POSITION VIS-A-VIS THE DRAFT ACCORD PROPOSED BY THE MEDIATION TEAM. PANEL PEOPLE DEPLORED THE FACILITATION TEAM'S SIDING WITH G7'S ASPIRATIONS ONLY AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S EXERTING PRESSURE OVER THE  GOVERNMENT ONLY AND NOT ON THE REBELS, ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES.
 
THE MAIN QUESTION OFTEN RAISED BY THE OPINION IS OF KNOWING WHERE ALL THOSE STRATEGISTS HAVE BEEN DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS OF TALKS, SINCE THEY WERE EXPLAINING THEIR PRESENCE AT ARUSHA AS A NECESSARY STEP THEREBY AVOIDING THE "POLICY OF THE EMPTY CHAIR".
 
THE DRAFT AGREEMENT BEING WHAT IT IS, BARUNDI PEOPLE ARE WITNESSING A CHANGE IN TONE AND SPEECH SIMILAR TO THE "ACCORD-CADRE'S" VIS-A-VIS THE ISSUE OF GENOCIDE, I.E. NAMELY THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL'S REPORT NUMBER S/1996/682 WHICH MUST BE ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE MEDIATION IS BECOMING A PREREQUISITE TO THE SIGNING OF AN EVENTUAL PEACE ACCORD. ONE MAY SAYS THAT IT IS BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, BUT IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT IT MAY BE TOO LATE - UGANDA IS ALREADY THREATENING TO REIMPOSE SANCTIONS ON BURUNDI IF THE NEGOTIATING PARTIES DO NOT SIGN THE ACCORDS.
 
SIGNING THE ACCORDS THE SOONEST WHILE SAFEGUARDING THE GENERAL INTERESTS OF THE POPULATIONS IS ALSO THE WISH OF OTHER MORALIZING PEOPLE, WHO ARE  THIS COUNTRY'S FORMER TOP RANKING OFFICIALS STARTING FROM FORMER PRESIDENT SYLVESTRE NTIBANTUNGANYA AND HIS PRIME MINISTER, MR. ANTOINE NDUWAYO AND OTHER PROMOTERS AND DECISION-MAKERS UNDER THE PERIOD OF THE CONVENTION OF GOVERNMENT OF WHOSE MEMORY IS NOT A REASSURING ONE AT ALL FOR BARUNDI PEOPLE, AT LEAST THOSE WHO READ "SINUNGURUZA'S REPORT"  (SEE "NET PRESS" SITE "RUGAMBA", RUBRIC "AGORA"), THE THEN MINISTER OF INSTITUTIONNAL REFORMS. THE REPORT MADE A SAD ASSESSMENT OF THE CONVENTION OF GOVERNMENT WHICH THE THEN PRIME MINISTER HONESTLY ACKNOWLEDGED THE INCAPACITY TO FUNCTION WHEN HE PUBLICLY CALLED FOR ITS OUSTING, AND THEREAFTER WAS WELL DONE ON JULY 25, 1996.
 
IN SHORT, BARUNDI PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE POLITICAL CLASS, DO INDEED NEED MUCH OF THESE LESSONS OF MORAL. THE ABOVE-MENTIONNED OUTSTANDING FIGURES ARE GENUINE LANDMARKS OF EXPERIENCE WHO SHOULD COMMUNICATE AND EXPLAIN TO THE OPINION FIRST IF THEY REALLY WANT TO GIVE SUBSTANCE TO TOMORROW'S POLICIES OR IF THEY WANT TO REPEAT THEIR PAST EXPERIENCE WHICH HAS PROVED NOT TO BE A CONVINCING ONE.
 
BURUNDI - PRESS.
 
THE POPULAR "GRAINS  DE SEL"  RADIO PROGRAMME ENTERTAINER GETS A 10-DAY SUSPENSION" - PRESS FREEDOM IS ONCE MORE TESTED .
 
BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 6, 2000 (NET PRESS). MR. ATHANASE NTIRUHANGURA, JOURNALIST-ENTERTAINER OF THE VERY POPULAR "GRAINS  DE SEL" RADIO - BROADCAST ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMME - HAS JUST BEEN GIVEN A SEVERE "TEN-DAY SUSPENSION" FOR HAVING BROADCASTED ON SUNDAY JULY 16, 2000 AN INTERVIEW WITH "ACCORD-CADRE" LEADERS, NAMELY PROFESSOR VENANT BAMBONEYEHO, CHAIRMAN OF ANTI-GENOCIDE ASSOCIATION "AC GENOCIDE -CIRIMOSO", MR. CHARLES MUKASI, CHAIRMAN OF ONE WING OF UPRONA, MR. DIOMEDE RUTAMUCERO, CHAIRMAN OF SELF-DEFENCE ORGANIZATION PA-AMASEKANYA, AND MS. CONCILIE NIBIGIRA, BARUNDI WOMEN'S UNION SECRETARY GENERAL UPON THEIR ARRIVAL FROM SOUTH AFRICA AT THE INVITATION OF FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT, NELSON MANDELA, MEDIATOR IN THE BURUNDI CONFLICT.
 
BURUNDI - ASSOCIATION.
 
" PROMISING PEACE TO BURUNDI TODAY IS TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR THE MOST CRUAL CYNICISM", ANTI-GENOCIDE ASSOCIATION "AC GENOCIDE CIRIMOSO" SAYS.
 
BUJUMBURA, AUGUST 6, 2000 (NET PRESS). IN A DECLARATION DATED AUGUST 4, 2000, ANTI-GENOCIDE ASSOCIATION "AC GENOCIDE-CIRIMOSO" (THE PRINCIPAL ANTI-GENOCIDE ORGANIZATION IN BURUNDI) IS ACCUSING BURUNDI GOVERNMENT AND SUPERPOWERS. IN AC GENOCIDE-CIRIMOSO'S OPINION, BURUNDI GOVERNMENT HAS ALWAYS "BEEN STUBBORN IN MINIMIZING THE GENOCIDE OF TUTSI PEOPLE "  WHILE  SUPERPOWERS "HAVE BEEN THINKING THAT THE GENOCIDE OF THE TUTSI COMMUNITIE WAS A MINOR DETAIL OF TODAY'S  BURUNDI CRISIS". SUPERPOWERS HAVE DECIDED THAT "FROM NOW ON, ANY LEGITIMACY IN TACKLING BURUNDI MATTERS MUST COME FROM FRODEBU PARTY THE ONE TOGETHER WITH ITS ALLIES RESPONSIBLE, FOR THE GENOCIDE", SAYS THE ASSOCIATION WITH INDIGNATION.
 
UNDER SUCH CONDITIONS, "PROMISING PEACE TO BURUNDI TODAY IS SIMPLY THE MOST CRUAL CYNICISM, SINCE THAT "PEACE" MIGHT EVEN BE IMPOSED BY VIOLENCE AND THE EXPECTED DIVIDENDS SHALL BE GIVEN TO BIG BANDITS, TO ASSOCIATIONS OF CRIMINALS AND ABOVE ALL TO ORGANIZATIONS KNOWN AS GENOCIDAL ONES," SAYS THAT ASSOCIATION. THE DECLARATION OF "AC GENOCIDE - CIRIMOSO" FINALLY CALLS ON ITS MEMBERS AND ON ANY "PERSON SENSITIVE TO THE HORRORS OF GENOCIDE PLAGUING BURUNDI SOCIETY TO STRIVE SO AS NOT TO GIVE AN ADDITIONNAL CHANCE TO GENOCIDAL FORCES" (SEE  www.cbinf.com/netpress.bi, rubric "AGORA").
 
BURUNDI - DR CONGO - SECURITY.
 
THE PRESENCE OF BURUNDIAN TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS IS A SERIOUS HINDRANCE TO FISHING DEVELOPMENT AT MBOKO (SOUTHERN KIVU).
 
UVIRA, AUGUST 6, 2000 (NET PRESS). ACCORDING TO LOCAL SOURCES, THE PRESENCE OF TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS IN SOUTHERN-KIVU IS SERIOUSLY HINDERING THE FISHING IN THE RIPARIAN AREA OF TANGANYIKA LAKE IN THE DR CONGO. AT MBOKO FOR INSTANCE, THOSE CRIMINAL GROUPS ARE TOO ZEALOUS IN LOOTING OUTBOARD ENGINES AND OTHER FISHING TOOLS BELONGING TO CONGOLESE FISHERMEN WHO DO NOT ACCEPT TO PAY RANSOM.
 
MOREOVER, THE TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS ARE CONTINUING TO UTILIZE THE AREA OF MBOKO AS A REAR BASE AND RUNAWAY PLACE FOR ATTACKS LAUNCHED AGAINST BUJUMBURA RURAL PROVINCE, JUST ACROSS THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF TANGANYIKA LAKE. LAST WEEK, A GROUP OF TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS ARRIVING FROM  MBOKO MADE A STOP AT NYARUHONGOKA BORDERING THE COMMUNES OF MUHUTA AND BUGARAMA (BUJUMBURA RURAL PROVINCE) AND THEN WENT TO THE COMMUNE OF KABEZI WHERE THEY LOOTED COWS AND OTHER PROPERTY.  OUR SOURCES IN BOTH SOUTHERN KIVU AND BUJUMBURA RURAL ARE AFFIRMING THAT THERE IS A RELAY BETWEEN TERRORISTS-GENOCIDERS ESTABLISHED RESPECTIVELY AT MBOKO AND NYARUHONGOKA.
 
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