Burundians are celebrating the end of a 13-year civil war with Thursday's signing of a ceasefire agreement between the government and the country's remaining rebel group but concerns remain that the deal may not end human-rights violations.
"Many recent abuses committed by the security forces were not related to the armed conflict with [the rebel Front National de Liberation] FNL," said an analyst in Bujumbura on Friday, who requested anonymity out of fear of assassination.
The analyst said the intelligence service, the police and some sections of the military had been committing torture. "The government is adopting a culture of repression and intimidation," the analyst said.
On Tuesday, the country's second vice-president, Alice Nzomukunda, resigned, accusing the government of human-rights violations and corruption. Nzomukunda was a leading member of the ruling party, the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD), and a fighter when it was a rebel movement, before it became a political party in 2002.
The spokesman for the CNDD-FDD, Evariste Nsabiyumva, called Nzomukunda's accusations "big lies".
On Thursday, the parliament approved President Pierre Nkurunziza's appointment of another ruling party member, Marina Barampama, to replace Nzomukunda. However, opposition parliamentarians boycotted the vote, demanding a public debate on the reasons for Nzomukunda's resignation.
Jean Marie Vianney Kavumbagu, chairman of the human-rights group Iteka, said he hoped that with the signing of the new peace agreement, security forces would no longer be able to use armed conflict as a reason to commit crimes.
"Some people were detained and even executed while in detention, just because they were suspected of being FNL combatants or supporters," he said.
There has been fighting in FNL strongholds, which include the provinces of Bujumbura Rural, Bubanza and Cibitoke. Analysts say those provinces may become safer and more accessible with the peace deal.
"Some people in these areas have been leaving their homes at night to seek protection," Jean Sebastian Munie, the head of the Burundi Office for the Coordination of the Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on Friday. "This should stop after Monday, when the new ceasefire comes into force."
However, Munie and other observers are still waiting to review the details of the peace agreement when they are published. The head of the association of women magistrates, Marjorie Niyungeko, said one could only judge whether the peace will hold after seeing what kind of deal had been made.
The two sides signed a provisional truce on 18 June that was not respected.
A major stumbling block in negotiations leading up the current agreement concerned the army. The FNL said it did not want to integrate its forces into the army as it was presently constituted.
Another issue is when the FNL would disarm. This is important, Kavumbagu said, because it could also speed up the disarmament of civilians.
"Some civilians have been using the FNL threat as a pretext for clinging to weapons," he said.
jb/dh/mw
"Many recent abuses committed by the security forces were not related to the armed conflict with [the rebel Front National de Liberation] FNL," said an analyst in Bujumbura on Friday, who requested anonymity out of fear of assassination.
The analyst said the intelligence service, the police and some sections of the military had been committing torture. "The government is adopting a culture of repression and intimidation," the analyst said.
On Tuesday, the country's second vice-president, Alice Nzomukunda, resigned, accusing the government of human-rights violations and corruption. Nzomukunda was a leading member of the ruling party, the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD), and a fighter when it was a rebel movement, before it became a political party in 2002.
The spokesman for the CNDD-FDD, Evariste Nsabiyumva, called Nzomukunda's accusations "big lies".
On Thursday, the parliament approved President Pierre Nkurunziza's appointment of another ruling party member, Marina Barampama, to replace Nzomukunda. However, opposition parliamentarians boycotted the vote, demanding a public debate on the reasons for Nzomukunda's resignation.
Jean Marie Vianney Kavumbagu, chairman of the human-rights group Iteka, said he hoped that with the signing of the new peace agreement, security forces would no longer be able to use armed conflict as a reason to commit crimes.
"Some people were detained and even executed while in detention, just because they were suspected of being FNL combatants or supporters," he said.
There has been fighting in FNL strongholds, which include the provinces of Bujumbura Rural, Bubanza and Cibitoke. Analysts say those provinces may become safer and more accessible with the peace deal.
"Some people in these areas have been leaving their homes at night to seek protection," Jean Sebastian Munie, the head of the Burundi Office for the Coordination of the Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on Friday. "This should stop after Monday, when the new ceasefire comes into force."
However, Munie and other observers are still waiting to review the details of the peace agreement when they are published. The head of the association of women magistrates, Marjorie Niyungeko, said one could only judge whether the peace will hold after seeing what kind of deal had been made.
The two sides signed a provisional truce on 18 June that was not respected.
A major stumbling block in negotiations leading up the current agreement concerned the army. The FNL said it did not want to integrate its forces into the army as it was presently constituted.
Another issue is when the FNL would disarm. This is important, Kavumbagu said, because it could also speed up the disarmament of civilians.
"Some civilians have been using the FNL threat as a pretext for clinging to weapons," he said.
jb/dh/mw
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
Share this article