June 9th, 2008 

Bujumbura, Burundi capital 

Hi all, 

Today I want to update you on the same cruel Breton Woods institutional policies of the World Bank, IMF, and WTO that are threatening the people of Burundi. We are supposed to be supported in our very efforts to overcome the 15 years of war that has taken three hundred thousand lives. 

Burundi is a country located in central Africa; south of Rwanda; east of the Democratic Republic of Congo and southwest of Tanzania. Since independence in 1962, the country suffers from the divided and rule politics Belgium established in order to maintain control of us. In 1993 two ethnic groups killed one another, but the Batwa people, the most minority ethnic group, is still living a landless life.

 Since 2005 Burundians have initiated dialogues in order to establish justice that reconciles all. Some countries facilitated the talks, the international community led by the UN decided to indeed support Burundi and Sierra Leone, the two last countries in the World as far as development is concerned were showing important will to overcome the crisis. 

This last couple of weeks we have spent night and day under the rain of bombs and bullets from fighting between the regular army and the last Hutu rebel group that is still fighting to reclaim its place in the government. The neighbouring countries including South Africa intervened to convince the rebel group to continue negotiations and that ended by welcoming them home. Now Burundians have hope for no more rebel groups staying in the bush to rob, kill and destroy the country. We hope that peace keeping will lead us to peace sustaining. 

When the UN mobilized the international community to support Burundi in this post conflict period, an international meeting was held May 24-25, 2007 in Bujumbura. This meeting mostly done by European countries’ representatives, they were here to listen to the government of Burundi defending the development projects. They all agreed to support Burundi with $1.5 billion. Let me remind you that this is Equal to the dept that Burundi has from the same rich countries. After their conclusion I personally gave an interview to the local media pessimistically affirming that their agreement is deceitful.

 After some days I was surprised to hear people ordering the government to fulfil the conditions that the IMF and World Bank imposed to see the promised money. 

Since the beginning of this year until now, we hear many companies chasing their staff. Strikes are now likely in all institutions. Since the end of 2007, Cotebu a local textile clothes company was closed because the staff said “no” to privatization. Now the very good and productive sugar company Sosumu is in crisis and the sugar that was very cheap, just less than one dollar, now costs one and half dollars for a kilogram. The National TV Staff has spent more than two months in strikes because of low salaries and other employee rights-violations; the judiciary staff is periodically striking because of the same problem. 

When the president was asked why he is privatizing three government companies, he answered by affirming that even the rest will be privatized; he named the telecommunications, water, electric companies and others. 

In addition to exporting coffee, tea, cotton to those countries, Burundi is always paying $43 million to rich countries. Now they are exploring the mineral resources we have, to take it and let us stay poor. The former fighters make our government, there are many agendas that we cannot know, but surely those former fighters are paying back the weapons they used. But Burundians continue to die from disease, hunger, and ignorance keeping us exploited and under slavery from a foreign power. 

Burundi is small but rich in what it holds: gold (in a small quantity), Uranium, Nickel (is in high quantity), hydropower including oil, cobalt etc. This country, equal in size to Belgium, but with more resources, should not register a high rate of mortality with a life expectancy limited to 40 years. 

If you are interested in Burundi you know that more than 68 percent are living in extreme poverty, it means people living under 1 dollar a day. 

For all these issues we ask the US audience to keep on advocating for honest support for Africa. 

The plains of west are very fertile, and can feed 15 Million people, but Burundi only has 8 million people. What we need is no longer weapons and development policies that are out of our context like the ASP. We need to be free from unjust debt. We need support of tractors and engineers to advise about agriculture. We need peace, freedom, and collaboration, but not domination. 

You have heard that Africa is the “poorest” continent in the world. But probably you do not know the poorest countries in the poorest continent. Burundi is among the three poorest countries in the world. In this poor country you will discover the poorest people. The Batwa are the ones who are suppose to be the indigenous people of the region. They are never talked about in the conflicts, but they more suffering more than any other person in the world. See this picture. 

   

If you have any knowledge about nutrition, I believe you agree with me that no one can eat only sweet potatoes everyday, like these sisters and brothers, and live. If they live it is because of grace of God. When I say brothers and sisters personally I feel shame, because I seem like a hypocrite, as we do not share same condition. How about you? Advocating for Burundi is to facilitate the process of reconciliation between us. It is allowing civil servants to have salaries according to the job they do. It is facilitating access to education for Batwa and for poor Burundians at the university level.

One of the roots of the conflicts in Burundi is the way education was organized. The colonists privileged some ethnic groups to go to schools, and some others were segregated and dehumanised. Now it is no longer an ethnicity issue, now it is an issue between the poor and the rich; many students are dropping out because of the bad decisions that are being taken by the government. Life at the state university is extremely difficult and students have just spent three months in strikes. As the government cannot change the decision now, the University is closed and it will be probably be reopened soon. This strike has caused 1200 students to drop out because they cannot afford the rise in educational costs. The poor students cannot pay rent for housing and cannot pay for food and transportation; the government aid is only 27 USD per month. This cannot even cover 5 days. Now the only students who stay are those who have families in Bujumbura and those who can lodge on the campus. My co-workers and I decided to work on the situation by helping students have some computer skills. 

During the strikes I tried to go in the campus to take pictures as students were sleeping outside together to show their solidarity in the suffering, but the police were surrounding the campus; it was like they were ready to fight. 

The conclusion is that even African governments are passively implementing the ASP, it does not respond to our needs. Let’s look at some of our needs. 

In my last writings you read about the free education in primary school in Burundi. Among the problem I mentioned was lack of enough schools when children responded massively. Now let me show you a category of people who does not only need free education, but also holistic support. This is the third ethnic group in BURUNDI and they are extremely marginalised and usually forgotten. They are called Batwa; the same ethnic group is in Rwanda and terribly more marginalised than those in Burundi; they are 800 thousands in the country. 

   

In the whole country and in all the years, we find only 3 batwa who have graduated from the university. Only 2 of them are at university and one of them is my close friend. There are 4 hundred who are at high school. These people are landless; they live in small houses covered with grass. You can find 8 people who sleep together squeezing in a very little place. They do not live long because of issue of consanguinity and diseases. Malaria, malnutrition and hunger are taking so many Batwa lives. 

Because of segregation at school most of those who go to school give up in the beginning, but many of them give up school because of hunger and diseases. According to this kid, the teacher blamed him when his materials are dirty because sometimes rain falls on them because the house is not strong. Some women explained that when it rains a lot, the entire family is in trouble you can see that in the pictures. 

   

My friend from the tribe is studying because of support from a person from America. If any other person wants to help two or more children that would be encouraging, let us be human. 

I end by calling you to keep on advocating for this country and support the lives of the Batwa. Help them get access to education. 

Advocating for Burundi is to facilitate the process of reconciliation between us, it is allowing civil servants to have salaries according to the jobs they do. It is facilitating access to education for the Batwa and for poor Burundian at the university level. 

Access to education at university level for the poor is the prevention of ethnic conflicts which are armed conflicts destroying this region. It is giving jobs to thousands and thousands of young people who have no job. Your contribution is very helpful. 

Thank you Jean Claude NKUNDWA 

BUJUMBURA _ BURUNDI