EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 2004 2009 Committee on Development 6.12.2007 REPORT of the delegation of the Committee on Development to Burundi from 22 to 27 November 2007 Mr Alain Hutchinson (PES – Belgium), head of delegation Mr John Bowis (EPP-ED – United Kingdom) Mr Jürgen Schröder (EPP-ED – Germany) Mrs Marie-Arlette Carlotti (PES – France) Mr Ryszard Czarnecki (UEN – Poland) CR\706152EN.doc PE398.535v02-00 EN EN Introduction Following a request from the Development Committee for a fact-finding mission to Burundi to follow the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, the President of Parliament authorised the visit in a letter of 25 October 2007. With the help of the EC Delegation in Bujumbura, a detailed programme was prepared for the delegation which comprised the following members: Mr Alain Hutchinson (PES – Belgium), head of delegation Mr John Bowis (EPP-ED – United Kingdom) Mr Jürgen Schröder (EPP-ED – Germany) Mrs Marie-Arlette Carlotti (PES – France) Mr Ryszard Czarnecki (UEN – Poland) The members left Kigali immediately after the end of the JPA session and arrived in Bujumbura to a briefing and a full programme of visits and meetings. These included a number of project visits to refugee camps, nutrition and healthcare activities funded by the EU as well as areas affected by recent flood damage, both in the Bujumbura region and the central and border provinces in the east and north of the country. There were also a number of meetings with the authorities, including the President, Ministers, parliamentarians and representatives of civil society. A detailed programme is included in the annex. This report, based on the findings gathered over the course of the mission, aims to present the main issues currently affecting the Republic of Burundi, in terms of political, economic, social, environmental and external affairs, as well as human rights, security and judicial matters. There is also an evaluation of the involvement of the EU both on the humanitarian level with the work of ECHO as well as the new actions proposed in the Country Strategy Paper and future programmes by the European Commission. Clear priority areas for assistance are the following: improving the security situation, in particular in regional conflict reduction and disarmament; improving conditions for the worst off (especially refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)) in areas such as nutrition, education, housing, healthcare, hygiene and revenue-generating activities especially with regard to targets under the Millennium Development Goals; improving good governance through developing institutional capacity in Parliament, ministries and local authorities as well as fighting corruption and developing human rights and civil liberties; developing agriculture and environmental protection; helping to develop infrastructure such as roads, energy and water supply. The report concludes with a number of topical and practical recommendations for how the European Union, and the European Parliament in particular, can contribute to improving the livelihood of the Burundian people. PE398.535v02-00 2/14 CR\706152EN.doc EN Political Situation Historical background Since its independence in 1962, Burundi has faced a series of violent socio-political crises, where ethnic issues have played a growing role (massacres took place in 1965, 1972 and 1988). In October 1993 Burundi’s first democratically elected president (Melchior Ndayaye, a Hutu) was assassinated after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutus and Tutsis. More than 12 years of civil war followed, causing 200,000 – 300,000 victims, 400,000 Burundian refugees in neighbouring countries, and over 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). Following the Arusha peace process (2000 – 2001), which set the basis for the national reconciliation, a landmark power-sharing agreement was painstakingly brokered in October 2003 with the main armed group, the CNDD-FDD (Conseil National pour la Défense de la Démocratie – Forces pour la Défense de la Démocratie; National Council for the Defence of Democracy – Forces for the Defence of Democracy), leading to peace in most of the country. A new Constitution, approved by 90 % of Burundians in a referendum, entered into force in March 2005 and the long-awaited elections were finally held in June and July 2005 (local and parliamentary, respectively), considered a success by the international community. In both, the former rebel group CNDD-FDD won resounding victories and the party leader, Pierre Nkurunziza, became the second Hutu president democratically elected in the history of Burundi. After a promising start after the elections, the governance of Mr Nkurunziza deteriorated in mid-2006, with allegedly unjustified detentions and harassment of opposition members, allegations of human rights abuses and growing corruption scandals. The purge and detention in February this year of the former president of the CNDD-FDD, Hussein Radjabu, considered the hardline strategist within the party, led to an internal split which blocked the National Assembly for months and forced the president to agree a delicate power-sharing agreement with opposition members. Government On 14 November 2007 President Nkurunziza appointed a new Cabinet comprising 19 Ministers and 7 Deputy Ministers, following talks with the main opposition parties. Only eleven of the 26 members were part of the previous Cabinet and it now includes 8 women. This agreement paves the way for more political stability in Burundi since the former opposition parties are now all part of the government with only 23 CNDD-FDD members loyal to former leader Radjabu and 4 members of the CNDD on the opposition benches. A new government also means a period of adaptation for the new members and those dealing with new portfolios. Parliament The Burundian Parliament is composed of the National Assembly with 118 members and the Senate with 36. The Assembly has eight Standing Committees and has representation of 5 political parties. Under the Constitution it must have 60% Hutu and 40% Tutsi members in addition to 3 from the Twa tribe. There is also a 30% quota for women. Both Houses suffer from an acute lack of infrastructure, equipment, logistics and documentation. There is also a need for training both of parliamentarians and staff to improve capacity and expertise. CR\706152EN.doc 3/14 PE398.535v02-00 EN External relations Relations with neighbouring countries are improving, with an agreement with Rwanda and Tanzania on the safe return of refugees, although there remains tension with the DRC whose conflict is forcing tens of thousands of Congolese refugees into already overstretched Burundi. The country is also assuming a role in the region as a potential coordinator and mediator, hosting the secretariat of the reincarnated International Conference of the Great Lakes Nations (CIPGL) and acting as a mediator within the East Africa Community. Furthermore, Burundi is a serious candidate for the next Presidency of the African Union. There are good relations with a number of EU states on a bilateral basis who are increasing their funding for humanitarian and development assistance as the country becomes more stable. The generosity of China is more likely to be due to their need for Burundi as an ally in the UN context as well as being a useful conduit for exports from DRC through to Tanzanian ports. Security Progress on negotiating a final peace deal with the remaining Hutu militia, Palipehutu-FNL, has been very slow despite the ceasefire agreed in September 2006, owing to the vested interests involved and the proximity of parliamentary and presidential elections in 2010. The rebel group currently numbers around 3000 people and it is a source of insecurity in Western regions and a considerable factor of destabilisation. The FNL are said to be responsible for an ongoing campaign of killings, rape, extortion and protection rackets, targeting NGOs and humanitarian projects. On 23 November they kidnapped two senior police officers holding them to ransom in exchange for the freeing of hundreds of FNL prisoners. This prompted a tough response from the Minister for Defence who threatened to launch a military offensive against the group. Clearly until the FNL cease their attacks, are disarmed and their combatants integrated in the social and political life of the country, they remain the greatest threat to internal security in Burundi. Members of the Army (where ethnic integration has been a success) and Police forces are also accused of criminal acts against civilians and disarming certain elements in the police force is also seen as desirable. It is estimated that at least 100,000 arms are held illegally by individuals in Burundi, either by those with criminal intent or those who are waiting to be paid to give up their weapon. Disarmament is a clear priority in order to increase security and to cut the crime rate. However, it should also be noted that many crimes are perpetrated with non- conventional weapons (agricultural implements, knifes, etc.). Conclusion As long as political stability endures in Burundi and the security situation improves, the climate for economic growth and social development will become more favourable. There is then a potential for the country to act as a buffer state between Anglophone and Francophone Africa, playing a mediating role in conflict settlement. PE398.535v02-00 4/14 CR\706152EN.doc EN Economic Situation ECONOMIC SITUATION Main economic indicators, 2006 1 GDP (USD bn): 1.0 Real GDP growth (%) 5.1 GDP per capita (USD) 117 GDP per capita (USD at PPP) 682 Consumer price inflation (av; %) 2.8 Current account balance (USD m) -124.2 External debt (USD bn)2 1.3 Corruption rank3 131 (out of 179 countries) 'Ease of doing business' rank4 174 (out of 175 countries) Burundi is a small, landlocked and extremely poor country, which has been racked by civil war. A regional economic embargo and international aid freeze against Burundi during the late 1990s inflicted further damage, prompting an increasingly opaque and interventionist approach to economic policy from the government.