President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza has launched his campaign on a national referendum that would change the constitution to allow for multiple seven-year terms in office – terms that he would be eligible to serve through 2034 if the changes go into effect. Nkurunziza appeared Tuesday before throngs of Burundians…
With a new round of dialogues on Burundi under way in Arusha, mediator and former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa hopes this one will be the last and lead to an agreement signed by all stakeholders in Burundi’s seemingly intractable political crisis. Those hopes are fading fast as National Council for…
The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into any crimes and atrocities committed in Burundi will go forward, despite the fact that the small African nation has withdrawn from the Rome Statute that allows for ICC jurisdiction. ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said Thursday that the authorized investigation into Burundi war crimes…
The United Nations refugee agency said it was “shocked and saddened” by the news that at least three dozen refugees and asylum seekers from Burundi were killed in Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called for an investigation into the incident in Kamanyola,…
Domitien Ndayizeye, the former president of Burundi, says he is taking seriously threats made against him by speakers for the Imbonerakure militia during a massive weekend rally in Bujumbura. Ndayizeye, who was succeeded by current President Pierre Nkurunziza in 2005, told Burundi’s independent Radio Publique Africaine (RPA) that the threats made…
The English-language New Times in Rwanda on Saturday described the Burundi government’s refusal to accept humanitarian aid because the food was grown in Rwanda as folly and “misplaced obstinacy.” “It is those kinds of immature politics we are witnessing across the border that has destroyed many countries,” the news outlet…
Burundi has lost a cultural icon, and announces the death of Antime Baranshakaje, the 81-year-old guardian of the nation’s sacred Gishora drum tradition. Baranshakaje died on Sunday following a December accident and subsequent illness. President Pierre Nkurunziza hailed the drummer as a national treasure who left his mark on the history…
Burundi Vice President Gaston Sindimwo said Thursday that his government plans to ask the United Nations to remove all its personnel and replace them because the UN and outsiders are “the source of all the problems Burundi is going through.” Sindimwo, speaking at a site for internally displaced Tutsis in…
Former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa will continue a round of talks Friday in Arusha aimed at resolving the political crisis in Burundi – but since the Government of Burundi refuses to attend, there is little optimism that the three-day talks will see any progress. Burundi’s refusal to participate, according to…
A report issued Thursday by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization calls for sanctions against individuals in Burundi responsible for summary executions, torture and other serious human rights violations. The HRW appeal follows an investigation and interviews with more than 20 victims, human rights activists and other witnesses who described…
Burundi’s decision to shut down the activities of ITEKA, a respected human rights organization active for the last 25 years, has added to the mounting concern over escalating violence and repression under President Pierre Nkurunziza, who recently floated the possibility that he might seek a fourth term. An order that…
Just minutes into the new year, Burundi began 2017 with the same shattered peace it has known too often in the nearly two years since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced he was seeking a third term. Emmanuel Niyonkuru, the Minister of Environment in Burundi, died in Bujumbura in what police officials…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
Willy Nyamitwe, the highly vocal spokesman for Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza, has again taken to social media – this time to condemn a Washington Post story on poorly vetted United Nations peacekeepers from Burundi, and to blame Rwanda for advancing it. “A story sponsored by Rwanda cannot be reliable,” was Nyamitwe’s…
Willy Nyamitwe, the head of communications for Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza, was wounded in an attack Monday in Bujumbura, local media outlets report. At least one person died in the incident. Nyamitwe remained in the hospital after an armed attack described as an assassination attempt. He suffered injuries to his arms,…
Demonstrations are planned in Burundi on Saturday to protest a United Nations decision to investigate human rights abuses, after the UN announced this week it had established a Commission of Inquiry. The U.S. Embassy in Bujumbura issued an informational message about marches in the city that are scheduled to begin…