Buyoya facing “serious situation”

Regional analysts told IRIN the situation is very serious for President Pierre Buyoya whose economic policies are highly unpopular in Bujumbura. They drew parallels with the situation in 1996 when the-then president Sylvestre Ntibantunganya was overthrown because Bujumbura residents decided they had had enough of the worsening security situation and called on the army to help them. “For Burundians, particularly those in Bujumbura, if they feel the president is unable to lead they will urge the army to intervene,” one analyst said.

The opposition Alliance Nationale pour le Changement (ANAC) grouping, which comprises the hardline Tutsi party PARENA, is said to be exploiting the current economic turmoil. “Tutsis believe Buyoya has failed them, both economically and politically,” the analyst added. An average civil servant earns the equivalent of US $28 per month, and the spiralling cost of fuel means much of the salary is spent on transport costs. “Many people feel they have nothing to lose,” a citizen of Bujumbura told IRIN.