EA House in Hot Debate On Burundi Fate

Members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) found themselves in heated debate following the call for the House to initiate the move to suspend Burundi from the East African Community (EAC). The motion temporarily overhang Bujumbura from the EAC bloc, comprising five member states including, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, was raised by the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) during the ongoing.

Should the recommended measures tabled here fail to bear fruit within the next one month, EALA would need to call for the suspension of Burundi from both the EAC and the African Union (AU),” stated the PALU Chief Executive, Mr Donald Deya.

The public hearing workshop follows the petition submitted on November 16, 2015, by PALU and five other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) namely Atrocities Watch Africa, Centre for Citizens’ Participation on the African Union (CCPAU), East African Civil Society Organisations’ Forum (EACSOF), East Africa Law Society (EALS) and Kituo cha Katiba – The Eastern Africa Centre for Constitutional Development.

The petition called for explicit condemnation of the assassinations, extrajudicial and arbitrary killings; use of inciting and incendiary language; and inordinate use of force by the Police, security officials and members of the Imbonerakure (the militia associated with the ruling CNDDFDD Political Party).

It advised EALA to hold a public hearing, in a safe place that would enable Burundian and East African citizens to testify to the occurrences in Burundi and make proposals for resolution of the crises and undertake an urgent Fact-finding Mission into Burundi.

The House was requested to unequivocally tell the EAC Summit (of Heads of State) that Burundi cannot and will not assume the rotating chairmanship of the EAC Summit until resolution of the political, human rights and humanitarian crisis in Burundi.

EALA was also to request the AU for robust leadership in intervention and mediation in the political, human rights and humanitarian crisis in Burundi, especially because the AU has a more comprehensive and farreaching legal and institutional framework for intervention than the EAC currently has.

In particular, EALA is to call upon the Chairperson of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU to take concrete steps towards preventing Burundi from descending into genocide or mass atrocities, including the activation of the AU sanctions regime.

Enhancing the numbers and capacity of the Human Rights Monitors and military monitors deployed to Burundi, in this case not less than 5,000 such personnel.

But Mr Adam Kimbisa, an EALA member from Tanzania, begged to differ, pointing out if every member state was to be suspended from EAC whenever conflicts arise in their respective precincts, then in 10 years’ time the entire community will cease to exist.

Culled From Daily News