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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

BURUNDI: Government officials, rebels say security improved

BUJUMBURA, 31 October 2003 (IRIN) - Despite the death of 20 people in different incidents in suburbs of the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, government and rebel officials have reported a marked improvement in the country's security situation since the signing of a power sharing agreement between the government and the main rebel group on 8 October.

"Military actions have reduced on the ground, and the CNDD-FDD rebels have ceased attacks against the civilian population," Col. Agustin Nzabampema, the army spokesman, told IRIN.

"In some areas, our men share beer with government troops, this is an encouraging indication," Gelase Daniel Ndabirabe, spokesman for the Conseil National pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD) rebel faction led by Pierre Nkurunziza, said.

Combatants seemed to have heeded pleas by President Domitien Ndayizeye and Nkurunziza to cease hostilities. Both men signed the power sharing agreement in Pretoria, in which the CNDD-FDD faction would get 40 percent of the army and four ministerial positions, among other positions in the transitional government.

"The security situation in the country has improved since Pretoria deal, the CNDD-FDD respected its engagements," Ndayizeye told reporters on Wednesday in Bujumbura, before he left for South Africa for talks with the CNDD-FDD on issues that were not resolved on 8 October.

While Nzabampema said the situation was calm in many areas of the country, he said the army deplored "a kind of political campaign" towards the population by the rebel movement, which is yet to transform itself into a political party.

Both government and rebels officials said that renewed food supplies to CNDD-FDD combatants had contributed to the reduction in attacks against civilians.

Ndabirabe said that there had been a growing trust between government soldiers and the rebel group's combatants since the signing of Pretoria agreement. However, he denied allegations of a possible political campaign led by his movement.

"What we are doing is to explain to the population the contents of the power sharing agreement we signed with the government, it is not a campaign at all," he said.

Despite the halt in fighting between the CNDD-FDD and the army, there have been incidents of violence between the CNDD-FDD and they only rebel group that has refused to enter into negotiations with the government, the Forces nationales de liberation (FNL) faction led by Agathon Rwasa.

At least 20 people were reported killed in one week in different attacks in east and northern suburbs of Bujumbura, local officials said. Those targeted were accused of supporting one rebel group or the other.

An estimated 43,000 civilians who in mid-August fled fighting between CNDD-FDD and FNL rebels at Mubimbi Commune, Bujumbura Rural Province, remain displaced, the governor of the province, Ignace Ntawembarira, told IRIN.

"The people go to cultivate their fields during the day and return to the displacement sites, they fear to return home because CNDD-FDD and FNL rebels are still at Mubimbi," he said.

Residents of the city's northern suburbs do not sleep in their houses fearing attacks by CNDD-FDD or FNL rebels, he said. Violence in the suburbs continue, despite the government's imposition of a curfew.

Cantonment of combatants

Another issue impacting on the country's security situation is the pace of cantonment of rebel combatants.

The demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration (DDR) programme has not progressed much due to a delay in the implementation of ceasefire agreements signed by the government and three rebel groups, the CNDD-FDD included.

Ethiopia, Mozambique and South Africa, the countries which had pledged to supply peacekeepers to Burundi under the aegis of the African Union (AU), have completed the deployment of their troops. The mission, known as the African Mission in Burundi, is in the country to help to disarm and demobilise combatants.

Already, a cantonment site at Muyange in the northwestern province of Bubanza is operational. It has 191 former fighters of the smaller CNDD-FDD and FNL factions. However, leaders of the cantoned combatants have deplored the conditions within the camp, and cite this as the main reason why they are unwilling to bring more fighters to be cantoned.

"Sanitation and food conditions have improved, but there is still problem of rehabilitation of barracks within the camp, the rainy season is on and whenever it rains, water passes through the barracks," Jerome Ndiho, spokesman of the CNDD-FDD faction led by Jean Bosco Ndayikengurukiye, said.

He added, "Once all conditions are fulfilled, we can deploy 150 fighters every week until we reach the 3,000 fighters that could be accommodated by each cantonment area."

Ndiho said that some of their combatants were assembled at Rukambasi, a hill in the southern province of Makamba, and were ready for cantonment. "We would like the African Union peacekeeping mission and the government to set up another pre-assembly area in the northern province of Kayanza," he said.

Nkurunziza's faction has stated that it would send combatants to demobilisation centres once a "technical force agreement" - to determine the allotment of key posts in the army and the police - could be reached.

This is one of the four issues due to be discussed on Friday in Pretoria by Ndayizeye and Nkurunziza. A regional summit on Burundi is scheduled for mid-November in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where the resolution of the outstanding issues is expected to be announced.

"Our men are ready for cantonment, but we have to await the completion of the talks," Ndabirabe said.

Meantime, Radio Burundi reported on Friday that the leader of the smaller CNDD-FDD faction, Leonard Nyangoma, has said that he has more than 6,000 combatants for demobilisation. However, Nyangoma was reported to have threatened to resume fighting if the government declined to register his faction as a political party.

The radio reported that Nyangoma had accused Nkurunziza's movement of seeking to impose itself as the only armed rebel movement.

Regarding the financing of the demobilisation process, the EU special envoy to the Great Lakes region, Aldo Ajello, said after a meeting with South African mediators that funds allocated to the demobilisation process were ready.

"There is a fund at the World Bank designated for combatants who will be demobilised, we are talking about 18 months of salaries to people who will be demobilised," he said.

According to a February 2002 document made available by the World Bank office in Burundi, "the estimated cost of the DDR programme in Burundi is between US $60 million and 80 million with IDA providing $15 million to $20 million and donor contributions to the regional trust funding the difference".

The document added that DDR programme would support the demobilisation and reintegration of former combatants including child soldiers.

Theme(s): (IRIN) Conflict

[ENDS]

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