Burundi: Throwing stones at the presidential procession: a sign that does not deceive.
Less than two months in power, General President Ndayishimiye Evariste has just received a strong gesture of his antipathy towards the people. To qualify his government as a parent government '' and worker ” (when he has not even started his work, without any evaluation) is a way of wanting to attract sympathy to the lower people, he believes he can manipulate as he wants. But, they are not children; they saw that this president was not elected by the people, that he imposed himself by force. They are silent, they continue to be silent, but a day will come to say enough. The Burundian adage says it well: “U Burundi bugona buri maso” (Burundi snores when awake). The throwing of stones at the presidential procession is only the first gesture.
Before we analyse together its likely meaning, let’s talk about the facts first. It was around 5:00 p.m. on August 05, 2020, Bujumbura time, when Evariste Ndayishimiye’s procession passed by the Engen gas station, near the Kayanza market, coming from Matongo commune. Stones were thrown at the presidential procession. According to prosecutor Désirée Bizimana, one of the stones hit a presidential guard, a second hit the windshield of one of the vehicles, and a third passed over the procession. Fortunately, his bodyguard did not respond immediately and blindly. A very positive attitude to encourage. Otherwise, knowing the extreme brutality of the forces of order resulting from the armed movements, there is reason to believe that no one from the vicinity of this locality would have survived. This restraint is not of their nature. Remember the late General Adolphe Nshimirimana who shot point blank at two little twin boys who were not assaulting anyone. To the reader who doubts that the president’s close guard is composed only of ex PMPA (armed political parties and movements), the answer is simple: even if there would be one or two from the ex FAB = Burundian Armed Forces (extreme doubt ), they would be in the minority and have no influence on the command of the unit.
It was therefore on August 9, 2020 that the Kayanza High Court tried, in flagrante delicto, three people who worked at this Engen gas station in Kayanza. Two men and a woman were sentenced to 30 years in prison. They are accused of “terrorist attack and conspiracy against the head of state”. “The three are: Manirishure Augustin and Mbaririmana chadia, both pump attendants and Ndayishimiye Christophe, mechanic at the same station. Initially, the prosecutor had indicted them for “breach of public security and not having alerted the authorized services that the security of the Head of State is in danger” and had required 7 years and 6 months in prison against these defendants. Probably under pressure from the government, the court had to change the offense and the penalty. And we are talking about Independent justice.
The two firelighters accepted that they were indeed at the station, but that they did not see either the origin or those who threw the stones at the presidential procession. The mechanic said he was not at the scene, but was at home. Which hasn’t changed the 30-year sentence for him.
Here, we must first thank the police and imbonerakure who did not act directly and brutally as usual; otherwise, not only would the three people have already died or would be missing. It is to be encouraged that they are brought to court even if they have done nothing, at least they are still alive.
We must then deplore the fact that the Burundian judicial services have never been independent since the arrival of the cnddfdd to power. They have always been at the service of the ruling party and not at the service of the people. Seems like cnddfdd lawyers haven’t learned the law, but how to get around the laws to satisfy the will of those in charge. For this case of Kayanza, it seems absurd to speak of cases of flagrance when the facts happened on 8/5/020 and the trial takes place 04 days later. The people were there, they didn’t take the time to look for them far. There is something fishy about it. Either these people are members of the cnddfdd, they took time to deliberate whether they should be brought to justice or not, or they know that they did nothing and that they could not push the investigations to find the real culprits, but ended up judging them under pressure. By simple logic, it is incomprehensible that the three people do such an act while at their workplace and that they do not flee. They may or may not be complicit. Although the stones would have come in the direction of the station, they may have been thrown from a location far from the station. In any case, these three people are imprisoned unfairly. They cannot in any way be the real perpetrators. And if they were in some way accomplices, 30 years in prison would be too much, especially since according to our sources there were no injuries or damage.
Either way, the gesture in itself is significant. On the one hand, these people have just expressed the people’s disenchantment with Evariste Ndayishimiye and his clique which blatantly carried out an electoral coup. The people have seen it; there is no way to forget it. On the other hand, people who dared to make such a gesture have just shown to all those who have anger inside themselves, without being able to express it out of fear, that anything is possible. Tomorrow, they are very likely to adjust the shot or to use other means stronger than a stone. No matter how much Ndayishimiye’s government calls itself a parent and a worker, the people will not forget what they did and sooner or later they will have to pay for it.
Still, Ndayishimiye is taking action like his predecessor, the late Nkurunziza Pierre, who, during a descent inside, everyone should have cleared the road, from place of departure to destination; it does not matter whether the activities are paralyzed or not. He was afraid to die, and bearing, he died. We must always do well because we do not know the day or the hour of our death
URN HITAMWONEZA always advises Burundians to remain united, Hutus and Tutsis, as they always have been and to keep a vigilant eye on the leaders who look only for their own interests instead of being our servants. You cannot use violence, but sooner or later the truth will triumph.