For the first time since he took office, Evariste Ndayishimiye agrees to give a long interview to foreign media. For this he chose RFI and France 24. The President of Burundi was interviewed by RFI’s Special Envoy to Kinshasa, Sonia Rolley, and by France 24’s correspondent in Kinshasa, Clément Bonnerot. He spoke in particular on human rights in Burundi, on the resumption of dialogue with the EU and on the relationship between his country and Rwanda.
Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye has just concluded a two-day visit to Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, at the invitation of his Congolese counterpart Félix Tshisekedi. It was a good neighbor visit. Unlike his predecessor, the new Burundian head of state is increasing contacts with his neighbors and trying to reconnect with his traditional partners, although the issue of restrictions on democratic space remains a thorny issue.
The issue of sanctions imposed by the European Union remains a major problem. President Ndayishimiye mentions it several times in the interview with RFI and France 24. “It is time to review this decision, I do not see the reasons for these sanctions,” the head of state explained. Burundian, but he recalls that the dialogue has already begun, even on human rights. “They will tell you where there are mistakes, but the vision is common,” the Burundian head of state assured. “We all want to protect human rights and good governance,” he explains.
When asked by RFI and France 24 about the arrests of opponents and especially members of Agathon Rwasa’s party, President Ndayishimyie assures us that “criminals want to hide in political parties”. And he adds: “When he is a criminal he is a criminal, he has no political party”. The Burundian head of state believes that he respects the rule of law by initiating legal proceedings. On the other hand, he denies any disappearance. “What I do know is that there are criminals hiding in Rwanda and people say they have disappeared,” said Evariste Ndayishimiye. And yet the Burundian head of state sees to it that there is a “positive development” in his relations with neighboring Rwanda, he looks back on the last steps taken on both sides.
In this interview, the Burundian president also evokes the determination of his Congolese counterpart to fight against armed groups. But these rebels who are hostile to the Bujumbura regime are “children of the nation”, he says he is ready to welcome them if they want to return and even take part in joint operations if the Democratic Republic of Congo invites him to do so. In any case, Evariste Ndayishimiye denies that his army is already invading southern Kivu, the UN expert group reported in January last year.
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