In Geneva on Wednesday, the United Nations High Commissioner, Prince Zeid Al-Hussein, said that he fears the year-long violence in Burundi could deteriorate into an ethnic conflict and with good reason.
The Human rights chief, while giving a report on Burundi, expressed concern over the suspension and arrests of students caught defacing pictures of President Pierre Nkurunziza. Earlier this month, over 500 students were sent home for blemishing pictures of the president and in one incident, individuals protesting against the arrest of students were shot and wounded by the police.
Conflict ensued in Burundi after President Pierre Nkurunziza declared his intention to seek an unconstitutional third term, a move spectators say is contrary to the deal he made to end the civil war back in 2005. Since the inception of the conflict there have been at least 400 recorded deaths, many more wounded and 250,000 people displaced as a result. In the past six weeks, a number of members of the defunct armed Forces of Burundi, or ex-FAB, have been murdered, possibly because of their Tutsi ethnicity. “In the south of the country, I have also been informed of speeches by members of the Imbonerakure amounting to incitement to violence against political opponents, with strong ethnic overtones,” said comissioner Zeid. The Imbonerakure, the ruling party’s youth wing, have been accused of inciting hate through speeches and, given the history of conflict between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority in the country, the commissioner understandably believes that such actions can incite retaliation. The rise in the number of arrests and detentions in recent weeks, along with the increased use of torture in detention facilities by the secret service does little to defuse the situation.
Tensions between the Hutus and the Tutsis have been have been rising since the president announced his bid to seek a third presidential term and hateful rhetoric by top officials have sparked concerns of a brewing ethnic conflict. When citizens begin to use rhetoric similar to that which preceded the Rwandan genocide, the world has to take note. When that citizen is not only a government official but the Senate President, the situation should ring all the alarms. Mr Ndikuriyo, the Senate President, called for authorities in the districts of the capital Bujumbura to start the “work” earlier in November. He also said, referring to the deadline given by the president, that those who refused to lay down their arms will be sprayed like cockroaches. The code word “work” and “cockroaches” were terms used to incite the killing of Tutsis in the Rwandan genocide of 1994 that claimed over 500,000 lives. He also used expressions such as “pulverise” and asked people to “exterminate opponents,” whom he said were only “good for dying.”
Civil wars in Burundi and Rwanda have broken out at least once a decade since the 1950s and these were often not spontaneous acts of ethic violence but rather, meticulously planned attacks perpetuated buy interest groups using the reach of media and the trusted voices of politicians. The Rwandan genocide, for instance, was methodically planned by Army officials and politicians in an effort to avoid sharing power with the Tutsis soon after a peace deal was agreed. The conspirators amplified the rhetoric using language similar to the aforementioned, began importing machetes in the hundreds and before the international community caught a wind of what was happening, it was too late. A rebel force led by Paul Kagame, Rwanda’s sitting president, eventually put an end to the genocide. Now, with the effective purging of Tutsi soldiers from the army, rhetoric reminiscent of the 1994 genocide and overt physical attacks in areas predominantly occupied by Tutsis, the international community is right to take notice.
The high commissioner’s speech indicates the United Nations intention to be proactive this time around but the Burundi government insists that there is no cause for concern and have shown hostility towards international interference. Humanitarian aid workers complain about harassment by the police, making it increasingly difficult to protect and assist civilians. The African Union (AU), late last year, outlined plans to send 5,000 troops to Burundi but later backed out after Burundi objected. The UN has suggested sending peacekeepers as 19,000 blue helmets are positioned just across the border in Congo, but is yet to decide on a final strategy. It’s unlikely that any intervention from the UN can protect citizens or prevent an ethnic clash but, the deployment of a large force into the region could better expose what is transpiring in the region and perhaps, encourage the government to participate in dialogue and prevent the radicalisation of the opposition.
Even though some analysts suggest that the majority of Hutus in the country do not support President Nkurunziza and therefore, the calls of ethnic cleansing might fail, there is a real need for vigilance and adequate precautions need to be taken.
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