Security Sector Development in Burundi
‘In his novel, All Souls’ Day, the great Dutch writer Cees Nooteboom wrote about forgetting. About forgetting victims; forgetting Burundian victims. In the book, he describes the fleeting news coverage that flashed around the world, only to be followed by the dark, all-enveloping blackness of forgetting. I believe we must keep the memory of the victims alive, if only to underline yet again the importance of peace in Burundi.’
As prepared for delivery
Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
I recently read Professor Peter Uvin’s book about Burundi (1), and I couldn‘t get the words of an old farmer from Nyanza Lac out of my head: ‘The light comes from the capital and shines all over the country.’ Those words express just how great a responsibility political leaders bear. They patrol the thin line between crime and punishment, and between war and peace. And they can change the course of history.
In recent years, a light has indeed been shining from Bujumbura. Security has improved considerably. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have returned to their country. The FNL is now a registered party. The death penalty has been abolished. These are amazing results, especially when you consider how far the Burundian people have had to come to reach this point.
Given the country’s recent difficult past, the Netherlands has all the more admiration for Burundi’s peacebuilding efforts in the Great Lakes region. I am only too aware of the sacrifices Burundi is making in Somalia.
The Dutch government applauds the great steps forward the Burundian government has taken. The peace agreement with the FNL, the disarmament and integration of FNL rebels and the release of political prisoners are all a testament to the political will that exists to build and maintain a peaceful future. The culmination of that process must be free, fair and peaceful elections. And as Clingendael's Conflict Research Unit has made clear, three things are essential to achieving this: political dialogue and power-sharing arrangements in the short term, and political reforms in the longer term (2).
Despite the progress that has been made so far, the elections give me cause for concern. I realise that giving people political freedoms can entail risks for a country in the process of rebuilding. But I am convinced that the risks associated with restricting those freedoms are far greater. Unfortunately, we are receiving reports of intimidation on the part of youth militias allied to the parties, of party meetings being disrupted, of politically motivated arrests and of NGOs’ freedoms being restricted. If the elections are to succeed, it is vital that this kind of behaviour be stopped wherever possible. The same applies to those placing unnecessary obstacles in the path of the electoral commission.
A strong UN presence will be crucial on the eve of the elections. So the Netherlands shares the EU’s and UN’s concerns about the decision to replace ERSG Youssef Mahmoud. Not only because the timing is problematic, but also because Mr Mahmoud was doing an outstanding job. In this phase of the peace process, Burundi cannot afford a weakened UN presence. That is why I am counting on the Burundian government’s full cooperation with the new ERSG, especially having heard the words of goodwill spoken yesterday by my Burundian colleagues.
‘The light comes from the capital and shines all over the country.’ These are wise words, indeed. Last summer Burundi entered into an agreement with my country’s government, aimed at a cooperative partnership with the Dutch army and police force. I commend the Burundian government’s courage in working with another country in such an essential area. That courage is now being rewarded. Confidence in the police has risen sharply and increasing numbers of Burundians now feel safe in their own country. That in itself is a minor miracle: only two years ago there was still shooting in the streets of Bujumbura.
The Dutch government believes it is important to invest in fragile states, like Burundi, where almost everyone else is afraid of getting their fingers burned. In recent years, Burundian police officers have received motorcycle riding tuition, barracks have been renovated, the police have been issued with radio-equipped cars and soldiers have received human rights training. And in the years to come, the Netherlands wants to help at a more strategic level. I have drawn four main priorities from the baseline study that was presented on the third of January: greater clarity on the roles and responsibilities of the police and army; a stronger focus on corruption and human rights violations; improving internal supervision; and strengthening political leadership in order to move the change process into the next phase.
In addition, a recent report by the United Nations highlighted the importance of transparency, ethics and democratic controls in the security apparatus. So I was very encouraged yesterday when my Burundian colleagues promised to lend their wholehearted cooperation to a new UN fact-finding mission.
Ladies and gentlemen, in his novel, All Souls’ Day, the great Dutch writer Cees Nooteboom wrote about forgetting. About forgetting victims; forgetting Burundian victims (3). In the book, he describes the fleeting news coverage that flashed around the world, only to be followed by the dark, all-enveloping blackness of forgetting. I believe we must keep the memory of the victims alive, if only to underline yet again the importance of peace in Burundi.
At the inauguration of the President of Burundi on 30 April 2003, Jacob Zuma said, 'The road to peace has been long and thorny and continues to be fraught with challenges.’ They are major challenges, certainly, but I am hopeful that in the coming months the political leaders in Bujumbura will shine a clear light all over the country.
Thank you.
1) Uvin, Peter, Life After Violence. A People’s Story of Burundi.
2) Zeeuw, Jeroen de, ‘From “Winner-Takes-All” to Sharing the Cake? Preventing Election Violence in Afghanistan, Sudan and Burundi’, CRU Policy Brief, June 2009.
3) Nooteboom, Cees, Allerzielen (All Souls’ Day).