BURUNDI-POLITICS: OPPOSITION THREATENS TO QUIT COALITION

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

HORACE AWORI

NAIROBI, Dec 17 1994 (IPS) - TENSION IS AGAIN GRIPPING BUJUMBURA AND OPPOSITION POLITICIANS IN BURUNDI HAVE THREATENED TO QUIT THE GOVERNING COALITION UNLESS THE PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER IS REMOVED FROM OFFICE.

RADIO BURUNDI, MONITORED HERE SATURDAY, SAID THE UNION FOR NATIONAL PROGRESS (UPRONA), HAD ASKED ITS EIGHT MINISTERS TO PULL OUT OF GOVERNMENT UNLESS JEAN MINANE, ELECTED SPEAKER IN NOVEMBER, IS SACKED.

THE RADIO SAID UPRONA’S 16 MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, WHO WALKED OUT OF THE ASSEMBLY FOLLOWING THE SPEAKER’S ELECTION DEC. 1, WERE CONTINUING WITH THEIR BOYCOTT.

THE PARTY ACCUSED MINANE OF INCITING HUTUS, WHO MAKE UP 85 PERCENT OF BURUNDI’S SIX MILLION PEOPLE, AGAINST THE MINORITY TUTSIS LAST YEAR.

UPRONA, DOMINATED BY TUTSIS — WHO ALSO CONTROL THE ARMY — HAS DEMANDED THAT PRESIDENT SYLVESTRE NTIBANTUGANYA, HIMSELF A HUTU, SACKS MINANE OR THAT PRIME MINISTER ANATOLE KANYENKIKO WITHDRAWS HIS PARTY FROM THE GOVERNMENT.

“IF NO SATISFACTORY SOLUTION IS FOUND BY THE PRESIDENT, THEN THE PRIME MINISTER WILL CONTEMPLATE RESIGNING,” UPRONA SAID IN A STATEMENT BROADCAST BY THE RADIO.

THE RADIO QUOTED THE STATEMENT AS SAYING THAT THE PARTY HAD INSTRUCTED ITS MINISTERS AND PARLIAMENTARY DEPUTIES NOT TO REPORT FOR WORK UNTIL THE CRISIS WAS RESOLVED.

MINANE WAS ELECTED SPEAKER OF THE 81-MEMBER ASSEMBLY WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE FRONT FOR DEMOCRACY IN BURUNDI (FRODEBU), WHICH HAS 65 DEPUTIES, ALL HUTUS.

BUT MINANE, A FORMER HEALTH MINISTER WHO RETURNED FROM EXILE IN NEIGHBOURING RWANDA THIS YEAR, HAS DEFENDED HIMSELF AGAINST CHARGES THAT HE HAD INCITED HUTUS IN RWANDESE RADIO BROADCASTS.

“ALL I SAID WAS THAT HUTUS ARE UNITED TODAY AND WILL NOT BE KILLED ONE BY ONE AS THEY WERE IN 1972 AND 1965,” HE TOLD IPS IN BUJUMBURA LAST WEEK.

MORE THAN 100,000 PEOPLE WERE KILLED IN 1972 FOLLOWING A FAILED HUTU REBELLION.