25 oktober 2022

Diverse kranten melden dat de EU de sancties tegen drie Burundezen opheft. Eén van hen is de nieuwe Eerste Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca, de andere twee zijn Godefroid Bizimana en Leonard Ngendakumana. De sancties waren eerder opgelegd naar aanleiding van hun rol tijdens de politieke crisis van 2015, die met bloedvergieten gepaard ging. Het opheffen van de sancties is opnieuw een bewijs van de sterk verbeterde relatie tussen Burundi en het Westen onder President Evariste Ndayishimye. Hoewel er nog altijd enige bezorgdheid bestaat over mensenrechtenschendingen, zijn de verwachtingen over hetgeen de huidige president weet te bereiken hooggespannen.

Uit Agence France-Presse hieronder het bericht:

“Today, the EU is lifting individual sanctions against three people, including the prime minister (Gervais Ndirakobuca),” the EU mission in Burundi announced on Twitter. “The EU will continue to support development efforts and reforms being undertaken by Burundi.”
Ndirakobuca, a former rebel commander who has also served as head of the feared intelligence service and as security minister, was appointed prime minister by Ndayishimiye in early September. The 2015 crisis erupted when former president Pierre Nkurunziza made a controversial bid for a third term, sparking protests.
Ndirakobuca at the time was among officials accused by Brussels and Washington of stoking violence against regime opponents.
He was sanctioned by both the EU and the United States as well as several other European countries, with Brussels accusing him of “acts of violence, acts of repression and violations of international human rights law against protesters.” The unrest led to the deaths of 1,200 people and sent 400,000 others fleeing the country, with reports of arbitrary arrests, torture, killings and enforced disappearances — and turned Burundi into an international pariah. Ndayishimiye took power in June 2020 after his predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza died of what the Burundian authorities said was heart failure although there was widespread speculation he had succumbed to Covid.
In February, both Brussels and Washington resumed aid flows to the landlocked nation after easing the 2015 sanctions, citing political progress under Ndayishimiye.

Uit Anadolu Agency:

The European Union on Tuesday said it has lifted sanctions on three Burundians, including Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca.
The sanctions were imposed seven years ago amid the deteriorating political situation in Burundi.
In 2015, the EU Council imposed the sanctions, which included travel restrictions and asset freezes, at the height of violence triggered by former President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to extend his tenure in office.
In a communique, the EU said the decision to lift the sanctions against Ndirakobuca and two others follows “intensified dialogue with Burundi.”
The EU will continue to support the development efforts and reforms undertaken by Burundi, it added.
Albert Shingiro, Burundi’s foreign minister, in a tweet welcomed the lifting of targeted sanctions against the personalities.
“This measure is the culmination of frank, sincere political dialogue, based on mutual trust and the shared desire to warm the bonds of friendship and cooperation with the EU,” he said.
Ndirakobuca was appointed prime minister last month.
He was Nkurunziza’s chief adviser for police affairs during the violence in 2015.
After the 2020 elections in Burundi, the US also lifted sanctions on the country’s military and security officials.
In February 2021, the Burundian government and the European Union resumed political dialogue aimed to normalize their relations following the election of President Evariste Ndayishimiye.
Ndayishimiye, 54, assumed office in June 2020 after his predecessor Nkurunziza died of what the Burundian authorities said was heart failure.