Opposition in Burundi to boycott poll despite delay

BUJUMBURA: Burundi’s main opposition group on Saturday announced it would boycott the country’s presidential poll delayed from July 15 to 21, arguing that nothing has been done to create favourable conditions for elections.

“The issue for elections is not the date, but conditions for a favourable climate for fair, credible and inclusive elections. We will not again go to the presidential poll,” Francois Bizimana, spokesman of the Burundians’ Hope independent opposition coalition told Xinhua.

Bizimana said the African Union (AU) and the East African Community (EAC) had urged a “consensus” on the election schedule through a dialogue framework.

Two facilitators sent by the United Nations, Said Djinnit and Abdoulaye Bathily, were rejected respectively by the opposition and the ruling party.

Djinnit was rejected earlier in June and was accused of siding with the government and earlier in July, his successor Bathily was rejected by the ruling party, accusing him of interfering with the country’s internal affairs.

Bizimana said, “Many conditions like the disarmament of youth groups affiliated to political parties, the third term bid of President Pierre Nkurunziza, the reopening of radio stations and the release of protesters against Nkurunziza’s third term have not yet been met.”

A presidential decree issued on Saturday stipulated that the presidential poll had been delayed from July 15 to 21. It also extended the campaigns for the presidential election to July 18 at 1800hrs local time.

A political crisis started on April 25 when the country’s ruling party, CNDD-FDD, designated Nkurunziza as its candidate for the presidential poll. The main opposition groups and several civil society organisations then called for protests against his third term bid.

Meanwhile, Burundi’s army has captured scores of gunmen and killed others in two days of clashes in the north, a regional governor said yesterday, the latest flare-up of violence in the country.

LOYALISTS INVOLVED

A rebel general, who was involved in a failed coup attempt in May, told Reuters this week he and his comrades were mobilising forces to topple Nkurunziza.

General Leonard Ngendakumana told French radio on Friday, when the first clashes were reported in north Burundi, his loyalists were involved. The army could not immediately be reached for comment.

The fighting is an alarming development in a region with a history of conflict, often fuelled by ethnic divisions. But an official said the latest fighting did not follow ethnic divides. The US has condemned the violence and urged dialogue.

“About 100 gunmen are in the hands of the army forces,” said Anselme Nsabimana, governor of Cibitoke province, which borders both Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.