Escalating Violence in Burundi as President Stands Firm over Reelection

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Burundi, a country in East Africa, to show their fury at President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to seek reelection this June 26th for a third term in office. Burundian police and military have responded forcefully with tear gas, water cannons, and gunshots, resulting in at least six deaths and several arrests.

The protesters have set up barricades in Bujumbura, Burundi’s capital, and the military was deployed throughout the capital to bring about order. Authorities shut down African Public Radio, a prominent station covering the protests, and other broadcasts.

According to Rwandan officials, 20,000 Burundians have fled to neighboring Rwanda. Thousands more have gone to neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. This exodus started only a few weeks ago when Nkurunziza was considering another run for the presidency, triggering political tension and large protests, albeit without fatalities.

This weekend’s outbreak is the result of Burundi’s ruling political party’s announcement last week that the president will seek another term and his official nomination on Sunday.

The decision is so controversial because the country’s constitution and the Arusha Peace Agreement – both created in 2005 to end a brutal twelve-year civil war between the minority Tutsi-dominated army and Hutu rebel groups (like Nkurunziza’s CNDD-FDD party) where 300,000 people died – limits the presidency to two five-year terms.

Nkurunziza has been president since 2005, but his supporters argue that his first term does not count towards the ten-year total because he was initially picked and not elected; opponents believe running for a third term is unconstitutional and a big step towards a dictatorship.

Nkurunziza’s spokesman referred to the protests as an “insurrection” and accused the opposition of trying to bring Burundi back to 1993 ethnic conflict. Any fear of a Hutu-Tutsi division reemerging would have massive implications for Africa, especially around Burundi given that neighboring Rwanda’s 1994 genocide that killed over 800,000 people is still fresh in the minds of many in the region.

Many African and western countries discouraged the Burundian president from running again and expressed great displeasure at CNDD-FDD’s decision to nominate Nkurunziza. The United States Department of State said in a statement that Burundi is “losing an historic opportunity to strengthen its democracy.”

In a foreboding message, former Burundian president Pierre Buyoya warned that Burundi could return to war while Nkurunziza said that anyone who posed problems for the government would find himself “in trouble.”

The situation in Burundi appears to only be getting worse with violence escalating significantly over the past couple weeks. The government shows no signs of backing down; on the contrary, its rhetoric and actions show it will likely use more force. Meanwhile, the protesters seem determined to stand up to Burundian authorities. The ultimate fear is that this political crisis will trigger a return to pre-2005 ethnic conflict that will spread to neighboring countries. While such a result may not occur, do not expect a peaceful outcome in Burundi.