Burundi’s request to join the Southern African Development Council (SADC) has been rejected over concerns of internal political instability in the country, coupled with its unsettled relationship with Rwanda.
The application which was filed in 2017 had been put on hold by the bloc’s Council of Ministers after an initial assessment by the Inter-State Politics and Diplomacy Committee showed Burundi was politically unstable.
The bloc’s chairperson, Namibian President Hage Geingob, in a statement last week said Burundi did not meet the admission requirements after the latest assessment that was carried out from May 18 to 25. “The SADC assessment mission was in Burundi but recommended that it is not yet beneficial for Burundi to be admitted into SADC,” Geingob said.
The major reason for rejecting the application as stated by the chair is the unresolved democratic process in Burundi. This is believed to have been triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza when he contested a controversial third term in office four years ago.
The situation in Burundi is in non-compliance with the new criteria for admission to SADC approved by member states after the 2003 Summit. The new requirements included observance of the principles of democracy, human rights, good governance and the rule of law in line with the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights.
There are also concerns over the counter-accusations between the nation and Kigali about interference in each other’s internal affairs. The relationship between both neighbours has been unpleasant since the attempted Bujumbura coup in 2015. The political crisis that followed saw the killing of almost 1,000 people, with thousands displaced.
Controversy in other blocs
Burundi is already a member of the East African Community (EAC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). Its intention of joining SADC was considered an alternative to the other regional bodies where it continues to face challenges.
Since 2015, President Nkurunziza has failed to attend most of the EAC’s Heads of State Summits and the absence of a Burundian delegation sabotaged the 20th Summit in Arusha last year.
The EAC summit had been postponed twice after Burundi’s boycott of the November 2018 meeting, which was rescheduled to December but failed to take place, the East African reports. However, the president was represented by his first vice-president Gaston Sindimwo at a gathering in February.
Burundi’s commitment to the EAC is also being questioned. It has also failed to cooperate in making budgetary contributions to the bloc, reportedly owing over $12 million.
The country’s membership at COMESA has also been as controversial. Burundi reportedly failed to prepare for the bloc’s 20th Heads of State Summit. It was scheduled to take place in June 2018 but was postponed, and eventually hosted in Lusaka.
That was the fourth time the COMESA Summit has been postponed due to Burundi’s lackadaisical behaviour. The Summit had initially been scheduled for 2017 but due to lack of infrastructure in Bujumbura, it was moved to February 2018, then April 2018. However, the April dates coincided with the Commonwealth Summit so it was pushed to June 1 and was hosted by Lusaka.
Despite Geingob’s latest statement on Burundi’s application status, the country’s government has not received any information regarding its application. “For now, there is no official comment related to Burundi’s application to SADC,” the spokesperson for Burundi’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, Ines Sonia Niyubahwe said.
Meanwhile, SADC Communications Officer, Barbara Lopi revealed that the assessment on Burundi’s membership “is still ongoing and the findings of that mission cannot be made public before they are considered by the Council and Summit.”
SADC is an economic bloc with 16 member states, including the recently admitted Comoros. The only East African country in the Southern African bloc is Tanzania.
