With a local election under its belt, and legislative and presidential polls scheduled for the next two months, Burundi is entering the final stretch of a lengthy and difficult peace process.
For most of the past 12 twelve years, rebels from the majority Hutu ethnic group have been at war with government troops dominated by minority Tutsis.
While this violence is often dated back to the 1993 assassination by Tutsi soldiers of the country’s first-ever Hutu president, Melchior Ndadaye, ethnic conflict has been a common feature of post-independence Burundi. Just a year after the conclusion of Belgian colonial rule in 1962, thousands of Hutus fled to neighbouring Rwanda, following ethnic clashes.
Talks initiated in 1999 by the now deceased Tanzanian president, Julius Nyerere, resulted in the signing of a peace accord in 2000, and the establishment of a transitional, power-sharing government in 2001. Previously, the country was headed by Pierre Buyoya who came to power in a 1996 coup, remaining as head of state until 2003.
But, while Hutu political parties put their names to the accord, Hutu rebels continued with hostilities.
One of Burundi’s Hutu rebel groups, the National Forces for Liberation (FNL) still refuses to join the peace process, and continues to stage attacks.
However, with the largest rebel movement now in the fold, parliamentary elections are set to go ahead on July 4, while presidential polls are scheduled for August 19. The National Council for the Defence of Democracy‒Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD), agreed to end its war with government in November 2003.
The June 3 local elections, also referred to as communal polls, marked the first national vote to be held in the country since 1993 — allowing Burundians to elect officials to the lowest administrative level of government. (Another poll for local government at district level is reportedly scheduled for September 23).
The poll was viewed as an important indicator of whether the legislative and presidential votes would proceed as planned — and it has given cause for both hope and concern. Significant changes to Burundi’s political landscape have also come about as a result of it.
Voting in the local polls was largely peaceful, although violence in five areas necessitated a rerun in these constituencies. A bid to hold this rerun on June 7 was also marred by violence. Voter turnout on June 3 was an impressive 70%.
Provisional results show that the CNDD-FDD won the vote, garnering 55,3% of seats.
While observers predicted the former rebel group would perform well, the scale of its victory was unexpected — and has proved difficult to accept for the main Hutu political party in government, the Front for Democracy in Burundi (Frodebu), led by President Domitien Ndayizeye.
The CNDD-FDD is considered Frodebu’s main rival, and relations between the two groups are now tense.
”The CNDD-FDD intimidated people. They pressured people to vote for them, and said that if they didn’t, they’d be killed,” says Frodebu spokesperson Jean de Dieu Mutabazi, who has also called for the election results to be annulled. The party has filed a complaint with the national electoral commission concerning allegations of irregularities.
Frodebu’s concerns were echoed by some in the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, who expressed surprise that people in rural areas who had suffered greatly as a result of the CNDD-FDD’s offensive, would vote massively for the former rebels. In Ngozi, a province that for years existed in a state of terror, the CNDD-FDD emerged with 80% of the vote.
However, CNDD-FDD Secretary Liberate Ntizonda rejects claims that his party is guilty of misconduct.
”We didn’t pressure anyone,” said Ntizonda. ”On the contrary, the reason our results were so strong is that we’ve lived close to the people for years. We know their needs and they know that we are the only ones who can and who want to help them.”
The international community has judged the June 3 vote acceptable: while irregularities are acknowledged to have taken place, these are not viewed as sufficiently serious to have affected the outcome of the poll.
Acceptance has also come from a more unexpected quarter, the Union for National Progress (Uprona). Alongside Frodebu, this mainly Tutsi group is one of two leading political parties in government.
Uprona has been in power for most of the period since independence, often governing with an iron fist. However, the party was philosophical about its poor showing during the June elections.
”We knew that in the present socio-ethnic situation, we were going to lose lots of seats. It was expected,” said spokesperson Gerard Nduwayo. ”The 259 seats we won are completely satisfactory for us.”
In all, 3 325 seats were contested.
While the FNL and government signed a ceasefire accord May 15, both sides have accused each other of violating the agreement — and attempts are underway to renegotiate it.
The head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Burundi, Carolyn McAskie, was also quoted Wednesday as calling on political leaders to avoid violence ahead of the upcoming elections. (The UN assumed peacekeeping duties in Burundi in 2004, relieving troops deployed by the African Union.)
This call would doubtless be echoed by many Burundians: more than a decade of civil war has claimed 300 000 lives in their country, and displaced thousands. -IPS