EAC summit ‘ignores’ Burundi crisis

Burundian riot police walk past a street fire during a protest on the outskirts of Bujumbura yesterday. At least five people have died since clashes broke out on Sunday after the ruling CNDD-FDD party designated President Pierre Nkurunziza its candidate in the June 26 presidential election.  PHOTO | AFP 

By Zephani Ubwani,The Citizen Correspondent

In Summary

• The EAC Secretariat only issued a statement wishing free, fair and peaceful and fair polls in the strife-torn country

Arusha. A high level meeting of the  East African Community (EAC) which ended here at the weekend skipped the Burundi crisis despite rising concerns on the security situation in its member state.

 The EAC Council of Ministers, which is the policy organ of the Community, did not discuss the turmoil there and instead the Secretariat issued a statement wishing free, fair and peaceful and fair polls in the strife-torn country.

Senior officials from the partner states who spoke on Friday to The Citizen on Sunday confirmed that the Burundi issue was not even on the agenda of the 31st meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers.

“The main items are routine appointments of the Community staff  and Tanzanian objections to the EAC Protocol on Environment and Natural Resources which it has declined to ratify,” remarked a Tanzanian official.

The fragile situation in the EAC partner state has once again thrown into limelight the dilemma the bloc faces to act decisively on crisis deemed to be internal matters of a its member country.

Although generally the violence is still confined to pitched battles between the Burundi security forces and protesters against President Pierre Nkurunziza seeking a third term, the turmoil could worsen with grenade attacks and refugees fleeing.

Apparent silence of a key EAC organ came as two major world powers - Russia and China - on Thursday blocked a French-drafted attempt by the UN Security Council’s statement on the situation in Burundi.

A day later Russia insisted that the UN should not  should not intervene in Burundi’s constitutional dispute that has sparked the biggest political crisis in the East African state since an ethnically fuelled civil war ended in 2005.

According to agencies, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin told reporters in New York that it was not the business of the Security Council and the Charter “to get involved in constitutional matters of a sovereign state”.

Nkurunziza’s  decision to seek a third term is said to contradict the Burundi Constitution and the Arusha Peace Accord signed in 2000.