More than 30 international non-governmental organisations could face expulsion for failing to abide by government regulations, according to a senior Burundian official.
"There are 32 international NGOs that have not been submitting their mandatory annual reports to us," said Espérance Niyonemeza, director of the national office for the coordination of international NGOs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "There are certain rules that apply to NGOs, and if they don't follow them, they may be asked to leave."
Niyonemeza said when her government came to power in August 2005, it became apparent that several NGOs which said they were working to improve living conditions for the local population did not fulfill the government's requirements for international NGOs working in the country.
She did not name the organisations, but added that her office, together with other ministries, was carrying out investigations, and would be making field trips to check on the activities of NGOs that had not submitted reports.
There are 95 registered international NGOs in Burundi, a country emerging from 13 years of a civil war that destroyed its economy and left much of the population unable to meet even their most basic needs.
The director of CARE International's Burundi office, Kassie McIlvaine, who is also the head of the country's international NGO network, said the current government was more active in monitoring the activities of NGOs than previous governments had been.
"Before, there was not much interaction between the authorities and the international NGOs," she said. "The new government wants to be more involved in regulating the NGOs in attempts to ensure coordination between all actors so that the limited resources are used the most effectively."
McIlvaine said, however, that the new regulations needed to be streamlined as international organisations were sometimes asked for different reports by different ministries in different formats, which wasted time that would otherwise be used for practical aspects of their aid work.
Another international NGO employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said the government's requirements bordered on interference, with some officials demanding influence over NGOs' recruitment and training processes.
However, Niyonemeza said organisations sometimes needed approval and partnership from technical ministries in order to carry out their programmes, in line with regulations.
"If it's a project related to training, the organisation will have to write a report and collaborate with the education ministry as well as us," she said. "This is normal, as the relevant ministry must be aware of and support every project within its field."
The employee also said there were reports of a 'red list' of NGOs which could be thrown out of Burundi and expressed concern that this could affect their programmes on the ground.
Observers say the government of Burundi may follow the example of neighbouring Rwanda, which expelled several NGOs after the 1994 genocide on the grounds of ineffectiveness or failure to comply with the law.
Niyonemeza denied there was any such list, saying any NGO that was cooperating with the government and abiding by the rules of operation had nothing to fear. She added that the relationship between the government and the international humanitarian community generally was good, and most NGOs appeared to be working to improve the lot of Burundi's people.
"We can't chase away an NGO that is doing its job, but we must regulate them to ensure that they are doing the work they say they are here to do," she said.
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"There are 32 international NGOs that have not been submitting their mandatory annual reports to us," said Espérance Niyonemeza, director of the national office for the coordination of international NGOs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "There are certain rules that apply to NGOs, and if they don't follow them, they may be asked to leave."
Niyonemeza said when her government came to power in August 2005, it became apparent that several NGOs which said they were working to improve living conditions for the local population did not fulfill the government's requirements for international NGOs working in the country.
She did not name the organisations, but added that her office, together with other ministries, was carrying out investigations, and would be making field trips to check on the activities of NGOs that had not submitted reports.
There are 95 registered international NGOs in Burundi, a country emerging from 13 years of a civil war that destroyed its economy and left much of the population unable to meet even their most basic needs.
The director of CARE International's Burundi office, Kassie McIlvaine, who is also the head of the country's international NGO network, said the current government was more active in monitoring the activities of NGOs than previous governments had been.
"Before, there was not much interaction between the authorities and the international NGOs," she said. "The new government wants to be more involved in regulating the NGOs in attempts to ensure coordination between all actors so that the limited resources are used the most effectively."
McIlvaine said, however, that the new regulations needed to be streamlined as international organisations were sometimes asked for different reports by different ministries in different formats, which wasted time that would otherwise be used for practical aspects of their aid work.
Another international NGO employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said the government's requirements bordered on interference, with some officials demanding influence over NGOs' recruitment and training processes.
However, Niyonemeza said organisations sometimes needed approval and partnership from technical ministries in order to carry out their programmes, in line with regulations.
"If it's a project related to training, the organisation will have to write a report and collaborate with the education ministry as well as us," she said. "This is normal, as the relevant ministry must be aware of and support every project within its field."
The employee also said there were reports of a 'red list' of NGOs which could be thrown out of Burundi and expressed concern that this could affect their programmes on the ground.
Observers say the government of Burundi may follow the example of neighbouring Rwanda, which expelled several NGOs after the 1994 genocide on the grounds of ineffectiveness or failure to comply with the law.
Niyonemeza denied there was any such list, saying any NGO that was cooperating with the government and abiding by the rules of operation had nothing to fear. She added that the relationship between the government and the international humanitarian community generally was good, and most NGOs appeared to be working to improve the lot of Burundi's people.
"We can't chase away an NGO that is doing its job, but we must regulate them to ensure that they are doing the work they say they are here to do," she said.
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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
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