04 April 2003
Burundi Is At Heart Of Great Lakes Conflict, Says Former Congressman
(H. Wolpe testifies before Africa Subcommittee) (850)
By Kelly Machinchick
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Burundi has suffered over 40 years of tragedy, losing an
estimated 400,000 people to ethnic violence and seeing another 800,000
flee the country. For a small country with a population of only six
million, this has proved devastating, according to former Congressman
Howard Wolpe.
However, the conflict between the dominant Tutsis and the majority
Hutus shows some sign of abating, said Wolpe in testimony submitted to
the House Africa Subcommittee at an April 3 hearing titled: "The
Democratic Republic of Congo: Key to the Crisis in the Great Lakes
Region."
Wolpe, a former Congressman from the state of Michigan who was also a
Presidential Special Envoy to Africa's Great Lakes Region, is now the
Consulting Director of the Africa Project at the Woodrow Wilson
International Center.
His testimony focused on the situation in Burundi because, he said,
"The conflict between Tutsi and Hutu in Burundi, as in Rwanda, is at
the heart of the Great Lakes crisis, producing massive refugee flows,
insurgencies and cross-border violence. The Tutsi/Hutu schism within
Burundi and the war within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have
been interlinked."
In Burundi, Tutsis comprise only 14% of the population, yet dominate
politics and economics and systematically exclude the Hutus from
participating in key social, political, and economic institutions,
said Wolpe. This has perpetuated the cycle of violence in both Burundi
and the DRC.
Finally, in August 2000, regional leaders signed the Arusha Peace
Accord, but then as now, the Burundi peace process is still "very much
a work in progress." The agreement left unresolved three contentious
issues:
-- Who would lead the 36-month transition government?
-- How would the reform and integration of the armed forces be
handled?
-- How would two principal armed groups, absent from the negotiations,
be convinced to lay down their arms and participate in the transition
process?
These issues must be dealt with if the ceasefire is to become a
lasting peace, he said.
The first issue was resolved when the parties agreed that President
Pierre Buyoya would lead the Transitional Government for 18 months and
then be succeeded by a Hutu president. As of May 1, 2003 Buyoya,
despite an attempt to retain leadership, is set to hand over power to
current Vice President and Hutu Domitien Ndayizeye.
Unfortunately, said Wolpe, other issues remain unresolved.
"Negotiations have not yet begun on the highly sensitive issues of
security reform, the integration of military forces, and
demobilization." In addition, the promised African Union peacekeeping
force -- led by South Africa, Ethiopia and Mozambique -- intended to
monitor the ceasefire has yet to be deployed.
Part of the reason for the delay is lack of funds. "These African
nations can neither undertake -- nor sustain -- this critical mission
without the substantial financial and logistical support of the United
States and others within the international community. This will be an
expensive mission, but absolutely vital to the efforts Burundians
themselves are making to move from war to peace. There can be no
higher priority than standing up and maintaining this peacekeeping
mission," he said.
Obviously, Burundi faces stiff challenges as the peace becomes more
lasting. One of the country's "most daunting tasks" is re-integrating
over one million refugees and internally displaced persons back into
society. Burundi lacks infrastructure and economic stability, and will
need the financial and technical assistance of the world community,
Wolpe asserted.
These are challenges the world community must help the nation meet, he
said. "The active involvement of outsiders...has had a significant
calming impact." He listed the presence of the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID), the South African security forces,
the World Bank as among those calming influences.
"The knowledge that the international community is now deepening its
economic cooperation with Burundi will help to strengthen the
confidence of those Burundians who are courageously working to
establish the conditions for a sustainable peace," said Wolpe.
"Leaders of both sides of the ethnic divide appear determined to do
whatever they can to keep the peace process on track. Within the
transitional government, people are talking to one another -- and
collaborating -- as never before."
The peace process is fluid and still unstable, but Wolpe believes the
future is promising for the Burundians and by extension the rest of
the Great Lakes region. "There can no longer be any question about the
courage and political will of Burundians on both sides of their ethnic
divide to work for a more peaceful and a more secure future."
But, he said, the peace must be kept or the consequences for the rest
of the region will be dire. "Let there be no mistake: the failure of
the Burundi peace process will mean not only increased suffering for
the Burundian population, but will jeopardize all of the ongoing
efforts to disarm and demobilize armed groups operating within the
eastern DRC, and will have significant negative consequences for all
of central and southern Africa."
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
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