Politics

Burundians to fight UN police officers, says CNDD-FDD boss

“I advise the UN not to validate this biased report presented by its experts, otherwise it will be the end of this great organization because we will firmly resist,” said Evariste

Evariste Ndayishimiye, Secretary General of the ruling party CNDD-FDD

Evariste Ndayishimiye, Secretary General of the ruling party CNDD-FDD

Ndayishimiye, Secretary General of the ruling party CNDD -FDD, on 16 September during a demonstration staged by members and supporters of the party. The aim was to challenge the report recently released by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Burundi.

According to Ndayishimiye, the report of the UN experts aims at facilitating great powers which are enemies of Burundi or the UN to deploy troops in order to invade Burundi.

The CNDD-FDD boss accuses the UN of using double standards. “Despicable crimes have been committed in Burundi since its independence, but the UN has never reacted. Why do they want to conduct investigations in Burundi today? “he said.

“They have tried to send the African Mission of Prevention and Protection to Burundi (MAPROBU) without success. If they dare, we are ready to fight them and we will win,” he also said.

“They are trying to deploy 228 police officers to arrest us and bring us to the International Criminal Court (ICC), we will fight and annihilate them in two hours,” said the Secretary General of the ruling party.

On 4 September, the UN Commission of Inquiry issued a report in which investigators accuse Burundi government of committing crimes against humanity. It called on ICC to initiate investigations in Burundi as soon as possible.

Burundians should not be confused with CNDD-FDD members

Tatien Siboma, a political opponent, finds that the Government of Burundi and the ruling party are finding scapegoats.

For him, since Burundi has plunged into the crisis in 2015, the UN institutions have adopted resolutions and produced reports on human rights situation which the government and the ruling party have always rejected. They accuse authorities and organizations responsible for these resolutions and reports of being biased.

“The best way to protest the reports is to allow international observers to come on the ground to dissect their content,” he said.

As long as the government and the ruling party do not accept that the UN investigators come on the ground in order to corroborate those reports, they will have no argument, he said. “Otherwise, anyone will conclude that they are accusing themselves of something,” said Sibomana.

For him, by saying that the Burundian people will protest against the UN if it implements the 2303 resolution, the CNDD-FDD Secretary General alluded to the youth affiliated to the ruling party ‘Imbonerakure’. “CNDD-FDD members cannot be confused with the Burundian people. We are not ready to fight against the experts sent by the UN, “he said.

Sibomana calls on the UN to investigate crimes committed since 2015.