Ten years into an ethnic civil war that has claimed 300 000 lives, Burundi is set for a political turning point this Wednesday, when Tutsi President Pierre Buyoya hands over power to his Hutu deputy, Domitien Ndayizeye.
The swap is a key provision of a power-sharing deal signed in Arusha, Tanzania, in 2000 by politicians drawn from both the dominant Tutsi minority and the Hutu majority, which forms about 85% of the population.
Ndayizeye, who has served as vice president for the last 18 months, will have Tutsi Alphonse Marie Kadege as his deputy, elected by parliament on Friday.
In order to reassure Tutsis fearful of persecution or worse at the hands of the soon-to-be ruling Hutus, Kadege will enjoy greater powers than his predecessor, notably in the realm of security.
But even with the handover about to take place, the shooting and killing continues.
A ceasefire signed with Hutu rebels of the Front for the Defence of Democracy has been repeatedly violated while a second armed Hutu group, the National Liberation Forces, has so far refused to enter into talks with Buyoya’s government.
This reflects the complexities of Burundi’s political landscape and highlights the scepticism in some Hutu quarters about the changes Wednesday’s handover will deliver.
At the weekend, the African Union deployed the first 100 soldiers of a peacekeeping force for Burundi eventually set to number 3 500.
”Pierre Buyoya is leaving the country in a much better state than he found it in 1996,” when he came to power in a bloodless coup, according to one observer of the country’s political scene.
”But his opening-up has isolated him. The Tutsis think he is too soft on the Hutus and the Hutus say he is too pro-Tutsi,” added the observer, who asked not to be named.
After Wednesday, it will be a Hutu who has to master this delicate balancing act.
Several personalities were to attend Wednesday’s ceremonies, including South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela who was the architect of the Arusha accord, and South African Vice President Jacob Zuma who took over from him as chief mediator. – Sapa