Buyoya reshuffles government

President Pierre Buyoya has carried out a major cabinet reshuffle, apparently in response to growing criticism within the country of the economic situation. The defence and finance ministers are among those who have been replaced. Regional analysts told IRIN on Wednesday they were associated with illegal trading and corruption, and there had been mounting opposition to them in the capital Bujumbura. However, the analysts added that the reshuffle would do little to assuage growing anger over the government’s economic policies, and Buyoya could not backpedal on recent decisions such as hiking the price of fuel, beer and taxes. According to the observers, the recently created opposition grouping, Alliance nationale pour le changement (ANAC), is trying to exploit public dissatisfaction with the government’s policies. The private news agency Azania recalled that the sacked defence minister, Colonel Alfred Nkurunziza, on Sunday took ANAC to court for “defamation, slander and inciting soldiers to rebel” after it accused the authorities of “sending some soldiers to the front, while others are busy doing business”. To add to Buyoya’s woes, 19 trade unions have also threatened an all-out strike in protest at the government’s policies. A statement from the office of the president named the new ministers as follows: Defence Minister - Colonel Cyrille Ndayirukiye (replacing Alfred Nkurunziza) Finance Minister - Charles Nihangaza (replacing Astere Girukwigomba) Commerce Minister - Joseph Ntanyotora (replacing Darius Nahayo) Transport Minister - Cyprien Mbonigaba (replacing Epitace Bayaganakandi) Communal Development Minister - Denis Nshimirimana (replacing Gaspard Ntirampeba) Public Health Minister - Stanislas Ntahobari (replacing Juma Mohamed Kariburyo) Public Works Minister - Gaspard Ntirampeba (replacing Denis Nshimirimana) The statement said Tuesday night’s reshuffle “took into account the difficult period in the country and the general wish to find solutions to the many challenges facing our country”. “The new government will have the duty of responding to the challenges with more commitment, dynamism and efficiency. There are certainly many constraints,” the statement said.