Press Release
***Hearing Follows Tues. Elections; Vote Counting Continues***Burundi Elections, Crisis Focus of HearingHuman rights NGOs, academics testify on path to peace & stabilityIn the immediate wake of yesterday’s election and as vote-counting continues today, the Burundi crisis was the central focus of a congressional hearing Wednesday held by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), chairman of the Africa and global human rights subcommittee in the House of Representatives. The hearing comes at a critical time for the small, landlocked African nation of Burundi amid the increasing political violence and the constitutional impasse created by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision not to abide by constitutionally-mandated term limits, and amid hopes both to avert greater conflict like the civil war that ended in 2005 but saw an estimated 300,000 people killed, as well as put an end to the growing refugee crisis. Smith noted that Burundi also went through a protracted Tutsi versus Hutu ethnic struggle that amounted to genocide in the 1990s, and that Burundi, without the international attention on the Rwandan genocide, overcame its divisive civil war and has sought to heal the wounds of the past and rebuild a nation. “Today, however, this peace is under the threat of unraveling,” Smith said, due to President Pierre Nkurunziza defiance of constitutional term limits seeking a third term. “While the constitutional issue is complex and unsettled, the rising political violence and tension – not to mention the roughly 160,000 people displaced and seeking refuge in neighboring countries – is easy to understand, and serves as a canary in the coal mine. “There is still time, and we in Congress have a role to play in sounding the alarm and prodding the Administration to take action, followed by oversight. We also need to avoid the temptation to be penny wise and pound foolish,” Smith said. “We can avoid much greater cost down the road – and I mean not simply the dollar-and-cents expense of humanitarian interventions, but more importantly, in terms of blood lost and lives shattered.” Click here to read Smith’s opening statement. The congressional hearing, entitled “The Unfolding Crisis in Burundi,” included testimony from four non-government organization (NGOs) witnesses: Michael Jobbins, Director of Global Affairs at Search for Common Ground (SFCG); Dr. Elavie Ndura, Ph.D., Professor of Education, George Mason University; Alissa Wilson, Public Education and Advocacy Coordinator for Africa, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), and; Steve McDonald, Global Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Jobbins said SFCG yesterday assembled and deployed a pool of 156 journalists from six radio stations, as well as its own Studio Ijambo, and the Agence Burundaise de Presse, to report on the voting process throughout the day. In general, Jobbins testified, election-day security was good in most of the country, though one incident was reported where the body of a member of the opposition MSD party was found, triggering protests in that neighborhood. There were reports of a large early turnout. “While many observers focused on the risk of violence during the electoral process as the principle threat to peace and stability in the country, we see a need for continued US diplomatic and programmatic engagement over the years to come,” Jobbins said, noting the appointment of Tom Perriello as the U.S. Great Lakes Special Envoy “represents a key opportunity for the United States to work closely with Burundi’s neighbors to play a positive role” and to continue to support regional efforts to broker a lasting solution.” Click here to read Jobbin’s testimony. Wilson at the AFSC testified that revitalizing the mediation process should be a “top priority for the U.S. and other governments in order to help Burundi move past this crisis.” The international community needs to collaborate on a process that allows both sides to stay engaged and support efforts for peace. Congress should signal to the U.S. Administration that investment needs to be made in long-term support to post-conflict countries, rather than continuing a limited focus on “short term flashpoints,” and take a regional approach to the crisis. “We hope that the U.S. and international community engages government or political level actors as well as groups at the community level in efforts to forge durable peace, both now and into the future,” she said. Click here to read Wilson’s statement. Ndura gave an account of Burundi’s pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial history. She testified that the same openness and honesty in the country that led to the historic Arusha Agreement that ended the 10-year civil war in 2005 must now be fostered among all Burundians to create and sustain a society grounded in sharing and collaboration, and defined by the common good. “For Burundi to avoid continued or renewed interethnic violence, people from all ethnic groups must develop their consciousness of the critical role that individuals and groups must play in the peacebuilding and social reconstruction processes in their nation,” Ndura said. Click here to read Ndura’s statement. McDonald said the international community should maintaining diplomatic relations and keeping humanitarian aid flowing, but also “push publicly and strongly for upholding democratic principles, the rule of law, freedom of the press, an independent judiciary and an independent election commission.” McDonald also said the U.S. and international community should help “revive and strengthen efforts by local NGOs, community groups and religious organizations to prevent mass violence associated with elections opponents and ethnic conflict that may emerge from the current crisis,” and resume efforts to “promote reconciliation and peace efforts across political, community, subregional, religious and ethnic lines, efforts that proved very effective in the lead-up to the 2005 elections.” Click here to read McDonald’s statement. ### |