Burundi: There is no real political opposition in Burundi; its leaders are playing the cnddfdd game for their own interests.
Since entering into business, the cnddfdd party has used every dishonest strategy possible to smash anything called political opposition that might oust it sooner or later. He passed through the “ventriotes” of the Uprona, giving them money and positions of responsibility and agreed to throw Prince Louis Rwagasore’s ideology in the trash; which resulted in the splitting of this party into satellite parties of the cnddfdd. Today the party exists only in name; it no longer has any strength. His election results bear witness to this. Yet the leaders who have accepted the cnddfdd’s game to destroy their own party to the point of selling its heritage, have no shortage of places in institutions.
What was done in Uprona was also done in Frodebu (Frodebu nyakuri; hence the term nyakurization), in Upd Zigamibanga and in the FNL. The strategy is always the same: the cnddfdd finds a ” ventriote ” among the influential party cadres, gives him money and other advantages, and orders him to hold a meeting (which he himself authorizes) during which he will be elected new party chairman. Those who attend this meeting are corrupted in advance, otherwise the imbonerakure participate to elect the corrupt new party leader. After this illegal election, the Minister of the Interior hastened to recognize the new party committee. We manage to form two parties, one recognized by the state and one unrecognized. The party is losing all its strength. The wing recognized by the state becomes a satellite party of the cnddfdd, it is no longer in opposition. In this way, we keep singing that we are in a multi-party system while we find ourselves in a disguised one-party system.
Only the MSD had resisted this “nyakurization”, but it too ended up ceasing to function on the national territory; most of its members having been killed, imprisoned and the rest forced into exile after 2015.
The case of the fnl is atypical. The cnddfdd and fnl were sworn enemies during the time of rebellion. The cnddfdd had the malignity to sign the ceasefire agreements before the fnl which continued to violate the agreements believing that one day it could achieve victory military (their leader told them that it is a divine promise). It was only a dream for them. So the cnddfdd got the upper hand over them, it had time to force people to join this party which gradually grew stronger. He has therefore continued to kill , torture and imprison any member of the FNL party who does not agree to cooperate with them or who does not agree to be silent.
As if that weren’t enough, the cnddfdd, as it had done for other parties, targeted easy-to-corrupt people like Pasteur Habimana and Jacques Bigirimana. Thus, they were used to divide the fnl party. Agathon Rwasa has always resisted in total malignancy. While those who agreed to sacrifice themselves to stay behind as intransigent members continued to be persecuted, killed, wounded, imprisoned, he always preferred to keep quiet and keep some posts in the country’s institutions.
It was during the electoral campaign of the recent elections of May 2020 that he began to come out of his silence and expose the crimes committed by the cnddfdd on the Burundian people. One way to gain the sympathy of voters. All those who wanted change in Burundi, tired of the cnddfdd regime, cnl or not, supported Rwasa Agathon, now considered a leader of change. He promised them he would fight to the end.
Now is the time for utter disappointment. Rwasa and his party won the elections, everyone saw it. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference has testified to this. Unfortunately, she gave in to the law of force imposed by the cnddfdd. Today these bishops are supporting, accompanying a thief, dictator president. A crime or a simple sin; it is not for us to judge.
Total disappointment on the part of all those who supported Rwasa Agathon who, with his popular support, should stand up and say no to the electoral coup. If he had had the courage to refuse by all peaceful means this cheating, those who had supported him in the elections would also follow him in this saving process. Unfortunately, he preferred to keep a low profile and accept some positions left to him by the cnddfdd. Today, although the cnddfdd has accepted his second place in the election, he has not given him any ministers in government; he has only a few seats in parliament that would not even allow him to prevent the cnddfdd from passing any law he likes, even if it tramples on the interests of the people.
Some observers believe that Rwasa had the legitimacy to even use force of arms to claim victory. Did he do it because he did not want to or because he does not have the strength and the means? While it is true that he could not have the superiority of force over the government, popular support is a formidable force which can win over material and technical means.
Our sources of information claim that the cnddfdd is fine-tuning a montage to arrest and imprison Agathon Rwasa at best, and murder him at worst. All its members will then be scattered; lost sheep to be recovered by the cnddfdd or to be easily eliminated. What would mark an end to political opposition in Burundi
URNHITAMWONEZA finds that Burundian politicians do not play politics for the benefit of the people, but for their own interests. They make it a business. What is regrettable is that membership in these different parties’ sows divisions among citizens to the point of killing each other. We protest against any policy that leads to war or the death of innocent citizens; all leaders who do so must, sooner or later, be prosecuted by independent justice.