USAID/OTI Burundi Field Report
November 2005
Program Description
The Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) supports the ongoing peace process in Burundi as outlined in the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement by strengthening local capacities to benefit from and contribute to the peace process. PADCO Inc., the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the national nongovernmental organization African Strategic Impact implement OTI's Community-Based Peace and Reconciliation Initiative (CPRI) and manage CPRI's field offices in Gitega and Ruyigi Provinces. CPRI's four components - the Community-Based Leadership Program, Vocational Skills Training, Community Initiatives, and media - strengthen local-level cooperation for conflict mitigation, help diverse groups generate non-farm income, and increase knowledge and participation in public dialogue on current issues. The CPRI works closely with community groups, government entities, media outlets, nongovernmental organizations, international organizations, and other USAID offices to maximize the positive outcomes of their efforts. Since February 2004, OTI has invested $4,485,192 in these activities through 249 small grants.
Country Situation
Government vows to fight the National Forces of Liberation (FNL) – The presence of the FNL continues to pose a major threat to national security, which the Burundian government is taking very seriously. In a series of meetings on Nov. 9 in Gitega, President Pierre Nkurunziza said that the fight against the FNL, a rebel group, was a priority of his government in order to strengthen security. Similarly, the defense minister, Major Gen. Germain Niyoyankana, in a visit to parts of Rural Bujumbura, urged local administrative officers to cooperate with security forces in the fight against FNL troops. In the meantime, regular clashes between government forces and the FNL have continued, especially in Rural Bujumbura Province.
Rwandan refugees to be moved to transit camp – On Nov. 7, the governors of Kirundo and Ngozi, in Burundi, and Butare in Rwanda, issued a joint communiqué referring to about 4,000 Rwandans, who had entered Burundi asking for political asylum, as illegal immigrants. However, a week later, Burundian central officials authorized the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to move the Rwandans to a temporary camp in the commune of Musasa, 30 km from the Rwandan border. The director of refugees in the Ministry of Interior and Public Security, Col. Didace Nzikoruriho, said that the Burundian government would review the status of all Rwandans admitted at Musasa. There has been, in the meantime, a decrease in the number of Burundian returnees from Tanzania, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Only 2,300 people came back in November, compared with 16,000 in August and 10,000 in October. Reasons for this decline may be due to threats by the FNL to those who want to return and also the specter of famine, already recorded in some provinces. Furthermore, internal displacements are regularly occurring in Bugarama (Rural Bujumbura), where more than 1,000 people are reportedly spending every night close to military bases in Rural Bujumbura due to the fighting between FNL rebels and the regular Burundian army.
Government criticized for violations of human rights – On Nov. 4, Human Rights Watch, an international human rights organization, published a report criticizing the Burundian government for not putting an end to the country's violations of rights by all sides. The report accused the Burundian government and the FNL of carrying out torture and summary executions. A week later, the Burundian human rights organization APRODH alleged that the government had arrested 400 people accused of being FNL collaborators and that at least 18 were tortured. Both Human Rights Watch and APRODH called on the Burundian government to put a stop to arbitrary arrests and torture.
Famine causes internal displacement in the north – A considerable number of people have left the commune of Gisuru, in Ruyigi Province, and moved to Kirundo, fearing a potential famine caused by a lack of rain and maize disease. On Nov. 17, a consultant to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization warned of a serious food crisis looming in the northern and eastern provinces of Burundi. The U.N. organization announced that it would increase its food distribution in Burundi by a thousand tons a month.
The Burundian government in the diplomatic field – Three months after the general elections, the Burundian government led by President Nkurunziza is establishing diplomatic relations with many countries. According to the president, there have been at least 15 official requests from different countries to open diplomatic missions in Bujumbura. In an effort to process these requests, the first deputy president, Dr. Martin Nduwimana, left Bujumbura on Nov. 27 for Zambia, Ethiopia and Kenya.
U.N. Security Council mission visits the region - A United Nations Security Council mission visited Burundi on Nov. 7 and 8. Led by the French representative on the Security Council, Ambassador Jean Marc de la Sablière, the mission aimed at assessing the security situation in Burundi and deciding on the future of the U.N. peace-keeping mission. Representatives of the newly elected government asked the mission to place greater emphasis on reconstruction and development rather than peacekeeping. On Nov. 24, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommended to the Security Council that the U.N. operation in Burundi be reduced in size, but extended until May 2006.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
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| Justine Nisubire of the Ministry of Education visits those studying re-forestry as part of the Vocational Skills Training program. |
Rugabano primary school inauguration - The completion of a primary school in the commune of Rugabano, Gitega Province, brought together representatives from the U.S. Embassy, USAID, the Office of Transition Initiatives and the local community. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Ann Breiter, the deputy chief of mission of the U.S. Embassy, and by the representative of USAID/OTI in Burundi. The idea for the building of the school came from the community itself, in order to respond to the needs of many children who had either just returned from Tanzania or who lived too far from the closest school. Members of the local community, who have assisted throughout all stages of the construction, thanked OTI for the school, as well as for the Community Initiatives program, which also has had a significant impact on the commune.
Community Initiatives handover at Gishubi and Mugera - On Nov. 16 and 17, the communities of Gishubi and Mugera witnessed the inauguration of USAID/OTI-supported Centers for Peace. Gishubi received about 150 books for its new library, while in Mugera the prestigious Tubiage theater troupe gave a day of training in theater performance. Representatives from the Community-Based Peace and Reconciliation Initiative and Gitega Province urged the communities to put the Centers for Peace to good use and to properly manage them.
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| Graduates of the training program gather in Gitega. |
Justine Nisubire of the Ministry of Education visits training schools - On Nov. 18, Justine Nisubire, the director general of skills training for the Ministry of Education, visited OTI's eight Vocational Skills Training schools in Gitega and Ruyigi. She mentioned that she was especially impressed with the extent of equipment, the distribution of start-up kits, the investment in infrastructure, and the training for associations on how to manage their tools and materials. The director general also was pleased with the success of the bread-making cycle, a program endorsed by her office since the inception of the Vocational Skills Training effort. She later visited the re-forestry component of the training program, a new kiln built in Muriza, and a training class in Kinyinya.
USAID/OTI final evaluation team visits Burundi - OTI conducted a final evaluation of the Community-Based Peace and Reconciliation Initiative program in Burundi during November. The two evaluators, Edward B. Rackley and Philip Boyle, spent two weeks in the country meeting with program stakeholders. The evaluation also reviewed the projects in the communities where CPRI works, Gitega and Ruyigi. The evaluators were impressed with the program's impact.
B. Grant Activity Summary
C. Indicators of Success
OTI-funded media synergy works on post-electoral issues - On Nov. 19, the media consortium of RPA, RTNB, Bonesha FM, Renaissance FM and Radio Isanganiro, initially put together to cover the electoral period, continued its reporting, but focused on education. It revealed that the implementation of the free primary-education policy is not going smoothly countrywide, due to insufficient staff and infrastructure in most provinces. The continuation of the work carried out by the consortium is a good indicator of the popularity of the synergy formula in the country, an idea strongly supported by the Office of Transition Initiatives.
350 graduates in Gitega celebrate the end of training - From Nov. 28 to 30, graduation ceremonies were held in four communes of Gitega, celebrating the end of Vocational Skills Training sessions for about 350 students. At the ceremonies, the students were congratulated for their hard work and persistence in the five-month training period, during which they were taught bread-making, sewing and masonry. The graduates will receive kits, made possible by OTI, in order for them to start their own income-generating activities.
Community-Based Leadership Program trainees get prominent positions - Trainees in OTI's leadership sessions are being nominated to many important community-duty positions, such as membership in Justice, Peace and Parish Committees. Many of the CBLP-trained leaders who have been elected to these positions acknowledge that CBLP skills such as active listening and effective communication have been crucial to their development as leaders.
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
An all-staff workshop is planned for Dec. 8 and 9. The workshop will focus on the Community-Based Leadership Program component and the Vocational Skills Training and Community Initiatives projects. Guests from the U.S. Embassy, USAID and international nongovernmental organizations will give presentations and engage the participants in discussions on the most pressing issues of the post-electoral period.
A formal evaluation of the media consortium activities, together with the external partners, will be held at a one-day workshop on Dec. 16. One hundred participants will attend, including 75 media staff, journalists, reporters and editors-in-chief working in Bujumbura, as well as in the interior of the country. In addition, donor representatives and members of the National Elections Committee and UNESCO will participate.
During December, all new grants for the fourth and final session of the Vocational Skills Training program will be prepared and approved. The next training session will begin on Jan. 9, 2006 for all eight schools involved in the component. The session will last for 20 weeks.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C.: Donna Kerner, Operations Coordinator, 202-712-0716, dkerner@usaid.gov
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