Burundi, 1996

The Burundi delegation, which I have the honour

of leading at the current session of this General Assembly,

would like to begin by taking this opportunity to present the

friendly greetings of the Government and people of

Burundi.

Burundi attaches overwhelming importance to the

noble ideals of justice, peace and security which the United

Nations has defended and pursued. This is why, even

during the acute crisis that has rocked our country these

past three years, we have always tried to participate as

actively as possible in these proceedings. We offer well-

deserved thanks for the Organization’s tireless efforts to put

an end to the fratricidal war we have been experiencing

since 21 October 1993.

Our delegation welcomes the fitting choice of a

worthy son of Malaysia to act as President of the fifty-first

session of the General Assembly of our Organization. We

are convinced that his intellectual and moral qualities,

together with his thorough knowledge of the concerns of

the world today, are undeniable assets in ensuring the

success of our work.

He can count on the full support and readiness of my

country, which has a Vice-President on the Bureau, and we

will make our modest contribution to ensuring the success

of the work of the President.

We also wish to pay tribute to his predecessor,

His Excellency Mr. Diogo Freitas do Amaral of Portugal,

for the competence and clear-sightedness with which he

conducted the proceedings of the previous session, when

the United Nations was commemorating its fiftieth

anniversary.

Finally, we wish to express our appreciation for the

role that His Excellency Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali,

Secretary-General of the United Nations, has played

throughout the world during his term of office to promote

peace, cooperation and development. We particularly

remember the important appeal for peace and national

reconciliation he addressed to the people of Burundi and

Africa during his visit to Bujumbura in July 1995.

Despite the crisis in my country, we believe that this

message will finally be heeded by those who opted for

violence to satisfy their ambitions.

As members know, the fifty-first session of the

General Assembly is taking place at a time when my

country, Burundi, is suffering the deepest crisis of its

history. The end of the cold war certainly made it

possible for the international community to free itself

from the ideological shackles and other constraints

imposed on it by East-West antagonisms. The United

Nations has thus been able to focus on its fundamental

objectives and effectively respond to some of the

problems the rivalry between super-Powers had long

made it impossible to solve.

However, we cannot but note, not without bitterness,

that in the post-cold-war period, new, more complex

conflicts have broken out, mostly within countries, that

have caused serious humanitarian problems. That,

unfortunately, is the case in my country. For three years,

Burundi has been in the grip of widespread massacres and

acts of genocide.

Since October 1993, Burundi has been increasingly

mired in a tragedy from which it seems unable to escape.

The consensus Government established in October 1994

in the context of implementation of the Convention on

Governance of 10 September 1994, after lengthy

negotiations among political parties, has been

characterized by suspicion and a lack of trust at the

highest echelons of State and a serious lack of will to

restore peace.

The complicity of the previous administration with

armed groups, massive human rights violations, duplicity

at the top of the State administration and the absence of

leadership have led to denunciation of the Convention on

Governance and a breakdown in institutions. With a view

to avoiding implosion in the face of the threat of renewed

genocide, and lacking a credible alternative, the active

forces of the nation requested His Excellency President

Buyoya to take on the burden of responsibility of putting

Burundi back on track.

The new administration has decided that its priority

is to put an end to massacres and slaughter, to restore

peace and security for all, to end impunity, to reintegrate

displaced persons and reconstruct the country.

The government of public salvation was inaugurated

on 2 August 1996. This is a broad-based team that

3

reflects the various ethnic components and political trends.

All regions of the country have been represented.

The Government wants to promote solidarity and unity

to ensure the success of its transitional programme, which

will last three years. Its plan of action was made public

recently by the Prime Minister, His Excellency

Mr. Pascal Firmin Ndimira. Its aim is to make good the

commitment entered into by the Head of State to bring

Burundi back to the path of peace, security and prosperity

by means of dialogue and national debate.

The changes in Burundi since 25 July 1996 have been

welcomed by the population of Burundi as a rescue

operation. The messages of support from all quarters and

the spontaneous demonstrations throughout the country

were visible signs of the support of the people of Burundi

for the new administration, which has come to the

assistance of a country that was on the brink.

However, some countries, particularly our neighbours,

were slow to realize the need, if we were to avoid genocide

in Burundi and maintain the sovereignty of the country, to

establish an administration that would bring people together

in the quest for security, not of one ethnic group to the

detriment of others, but of all.

This was therefore not an attempt to undermine

democracy, as some claim. The Government wants, instead,

to end the massacre of innocent populations battling with

the various armed factions within the country and outside,

from the capital to the heart of Burundi, to restore peace

and security for all and create conditions conducive to

comprehensive democratization based on national realities.

The efforts being undertaken by the new

administration to restore peace and organize dialogue and

national debate have been hampered by the economic

sanctions against Burundi. I am duty-bound to draw the

attention of representatives here to the damaging effects of

the economic blockade imposed on my country at the

Second Arusha Regional Summit on Burundi on

31 July 1996. The international community must not, one

day, say that it did not know. The countries of our

subregion were more than anyone else aware of the chaotic

and complicated situation in Burundi before 25 July 1996.

They also knew of the almost total institutional paralysis as

a result of the crisis. Every day they see my country’s

continuous struggle to restore peace and security despite the

host of difficulties before us.

We therefore see the embargo imposed on Burundi

as unfriendly, unjust and illegal. It violates international

public law and the international accords and conventions

that our countries have ratified. The embargo, which is

really a total economic blockade against my country,

constitutes a dangerous precedent, violating Article 1,

paragraph 2, of the Charter of the United Nations

regarding the right of peoples to self-determination and

the sovereignty and equality of States.

This blockade flouts the principle of non-interference

in the internal affairs of other States as stipulated in

Article III, paragraph 2, of the Charter of the

Organization of African Unity and the Declaration of

24 October 1970 adopted by the General Assembly on the

duty of States to refrain from interfering in the domestic

affairs of other States.

The nature of the sanctions adopted flies in the face

of the principle of the non-use of force and the peaceful

settlement of international disputes in accordance with the

Declaration of 24 October 1970 adopted by the General

Assembly. We know that States are prohibited from using

force against another State, even in the case of damages

caused by the latter.

In the case of Burundi, there was no damage to any

of our neighbours. However, our access to the sea, our

right of transit and our freedom of trade have been taken

away. The illegality of the embargo is obvious, since

international and regional treaties recognizing Member

States’ freedom of transit have been violated.

These instruments include the Marrakesh Agreement

establishing the World Trade Organization, the treaty on

the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa, the

Convention on Transit Trade of Land-Locked States, not

to mention the charters and agreements of neighbouring

countries, such as the Economic Community of the Great

Lakes Countries and the preferential trade area.

What is worse — and we would emphasize this here

before the General Assembly — the sanctions imposed

are hindering the action of our Government, weakening

the chances for peace and working in favour of the

extremist militias and armed bands, which feel

encouraged by them. At this very moment, the latter are

using the embargo to intensify their acts of violence and

destruction in the country.

The embargo imposed on Burundi has had

catastrophic consequences on people who, as a result, find

4

themselves deprived of urgently needed medications,

vaccines, diagnostic materials and surgical instruments.

Today, children, women and the elderly are dying.

The vaccination rate, which, because of three years of

war, has fallen from 80 per cent to 30 per cent among

children under five years of age, may soon reach zero if

nothing is done to improve the situation in the meantime.

That will necessarily have an impact on the most vulnerable

members of the population. Further, the population of

Burundi is at risk of widespread famine, which will have

unfortunate consequences for the inhabitants of

neighbouring countries. It will have a greater impact on the

most vulnerable, namely, displaced persons, the homeless

and the repatriated, which latter group has already been

living for three years now in inhuman conditions. Nearly

80 per cent of them are children, women and the elderly.

Lastly, owing to lack of fuel and non-availability of

educational materials, a large number of pupils and students

may leave school. The drop-out rate is already 18 per cent

for secondary education, 21 per cent for technical training

and 20 per cent for university studies.

As for the economic aspects of the embargo, I would

point out that Burundi lives essentially on agriculture and

animal husbandry. There will be a sharp decline in our

harvest if fertilizers, concentrates and veterinary

pharmaceuticals continue to be held by embargo in the

ports of neighbouring countries. The result will obviously

be widespread famine.

The few industries still operating are gradually

shutting down owing to lack of raw materials. State

revenues are at a dangerously low level because of our

inability to export and import. That will lead to

unemployment or inability to pay workers in both the

public and private sectors and foment social unrest that will

increase insecurity and destabilize the country. Overall, the

situation will favour the retaking of territory and strengthen

the armed actions of rebel groups and other outlaw bands

against the peaceful population, with the risk of widespread

civil war.

This apocalyptic prospect can and must be avoided.

The neighbouring countries behind the embargo had

demanded that the new regime end its suspension of the

National Assembly and political parties and commit itself

to dialogue with the armed groups, points that are priorities

of the new regime’s programme made public on

25 July 1996. Decree Number 100-023 of

13 September 1996 has just reinstated Parliament, the

political parties and political associations.

Furthermore, the Government of Burundi has just

reiterated its solemn commitment to engage in dialogue

and to discuss all the country’s fundamental questions

with all interested political partners, including armed

groups. We renew that commitment here before the

Assembly.

That measure, which is already a priority of the new

regime, was the latest recommendation of the Arusha

Summit Meeting on 31 July 1996. Now that my

Government has responded positively and promptly to the

conditions fixed by its neighbours, we invite them to take

all appropriate steps to lift the embargo immediately so as

to alleviate the indescribable suffering of the people of

Burundi and to enable dialogue — which is also hindered

by the embargo — to take place by opening lines of

communication, both on the ground and in the air, and by

fulfilling their commitments.

My country, Burundi, seeks to play an active and

constructive role in the development of peaceful, friendly

and mutually beneficial relations with countries of the

region and the rest of the world. In return, we require of

our partners that they refrain from threat or use of force

or from any other action incompatible with the purposes

and principles of the United Nations Charter.

Because of the war and the embargo, my country

continues to suffer from a very critical economic

situation. It is land-locked and therefore must rely on its

neighbours for the transit of its exports and imports. For

that reason, we attach great importance to the policy of

good-neighbourliness and non-interference in the internal

affairs of other States.

My Government is perfectly well aware of the

concerns of the international community over the crisis in

Burundi. We express our gratitude to all our bilateral and

multilateral partners that have given us their support,

solidarity and understanding in this difficult period.

However, we remain convinced that the imposition

of conditions about the pace and the way to resolve the

current conflict cannot benefit the people of Burundi. We

are determined to find lasting and definitive solutions to

the evil that is eroding Burundi, but such complex

problems cannot be resolved by precipitate action or by

holding a knife to our throats.

5

The political situation in the Great Lakes region

continues to be cause for concern. This geographical area

holds the sad world record for number of refugees.

Following the genocide carried out in Rwanda in April

1994, several hundreds of thousands of persons sought

asylum in neighbouring countries, particularly in Zaire and

Tanzania.

Following the crisis of October 1993, those countries

also contained tens of thousands of Burundi’s citizens, who

swelled the ranks of those gone into exile. In

February 1995 an international Conference about this thorny

question was held in Bujumbura, under the auspices of the

Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the United

Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees.

The decisions and recommendations made at that time have

remained virtually a dead letter. However, we have noted

the voluntary and peaceful repatriation of a large number of

Rwandan refugees who had sought asylum in Burundi.

The OAU and the United Nations, through the Office

of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,

should step up their initiatives designed to encourage all

persons who wish to return to their countries once the

conditions of peace and security have been met. The

authorities of the countries concerned must, of course, play

a primary role. The Government of Burundi, for its part, is

prepared to welcome at any time all of our nationals who

wish to return to their respective homes. To that end, it is

now organizing and doing all it can to bring about the rapid

restoration of a climate of peace, understanding and

national reconciliation.

We encourage all efforts being made by neighbouring

countries, by friendly countries, the Organization of African

Unity, the European Union and the United Nations on

behalf of this troubled region and to return the situation as

a whole to normal.

At the same time, we draw the attention of the

international community to other scourges and other

phenomena that are rife in this geographical area. I am

referring to the trafficking in and proliferation of weapons

and the training of militias and armed groups that foment

terrorism and threaten the security of our fellow citizens

from certain neighbouring countries.

We note the spread of the ideology of genocide,

hatred, violence and marginalization made manifest in

intolerance and ethnic fundamentalism. The pernicious ideas

propagated by the champions of those ideologies will, in

the long term, generate social upheavals with political and

ethnic roots that will in turn cause enormous human and

material damage. The genocide in Rwanda, the massacres

perpetrated in Burundi since the October 1993 crisis, the

killings we have witnessed in South Kivu, in particular in

the Massissi region and very recently in the region of

Uvira, are the best example of this threat to peace and

security in our subregion.

The international community must mobilize to

combat such inhuman and degrading acts, whose

philosophy is so strangely reminiscent of notorious

Hitlerite nazism.

With regard to the other conflicts with which Africa

is beset, the Government of Burundi welcomes the

positive developments in the situation in Somalia and in

Liberia. It appreciates the decisive role played by the

OAU, the United Nations and subregional organizations

in helping to sort out differences and commit the parties

to disputes to a process of peace and reconciliation.

In that connection, my Government welcomes the

establishment by the OAU of a Mechanism for Conflict

Prevention, Management and Resolution. African leaders

have thereby demonstrated their determination to become

more involved in solving problems on their own

continent.

We take this opportunity to express our thanks to the

European Union, the United Nations and other bilateral

partners for the political, material and financial support

given that initiative. To that end, Burundi is convinced of

the overriding importance of preventive diplomacy and

the peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and

negotiation.

The United Nations has two main priorities, namely,

the Agenda for Peace and the Agenda for Development.

Their success entails a determined struggle against

terrorism and organized crime as well as the elimination

of the nuclear threat. Burundi therefore supports the

organization of an international criminal tribunal.

Burundi’s representative to the United Nations has

just signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

My Government warmly welcomes that noble decision by

the General Assembly of our Organization. It is a signally

important step towards the establishment of a world of

peace free from the threat of meaningless death caused by

man himself.

The Government of Burundi is also concerned about

other contemporary scourges, such as the trafficking in

6

and the distribution and consumption of drugs and other

psychotropic substances. They are a grave danger,

especially for our young people who are our future. Apart

from their deleterious effects on health, they are a

formidable weapon in the hands of the supporters of

international terrorism.

For that reason, we wholeheartedly support efforts

being made within the framework of international

cooperation to eradicate that disaster confronting humanity.

We emphasize this fact, for armed groups that are

organized to rob, rape, burn and kill sate themselves with

these harmful substances to kill in cold blood, without

remorse and without pity.

Several delegations have recognized the fact that many

African Governments are increasingly committed to

shouldering their responsibilities for the development of

their continent. It has been noted, in particular, that over the

past two years the average growth rate in gross domestic

product has reached 5 per cent. Those efforts deserve encouragement.

Nevertheless, the burden of external debt continues to

weigh heavily on many of our countries and often

undermines their development efforts. That is why the

Government of Burundi pleads for the substantial easing of

external debt in order to give every chance to programmes

aimed at improving the living standard of our people.

I should like to join other eminent heads of delegation

who have spoken earlier in announcing that my

Government shares the hope that our Organization will be

reformed and made into an efficient and effective

instrument better able to respond to the purposes and

principles assigned it by its founding fathers. The United

Nations must adapt its structures and working methods to

the current and future concerns of our planet and all

humankind.

We view with special attention the ongoing

discussions on restructuring the Security Council to allow

for more equitable representation in that body, to increase

its membership and to achieve its general democratization.

Given their political and economic advantages, Germany

and Japan have legitimate aspirations for permanent seats

in the Security Council, as does Italy. Since none of the

proposals before us commands general support, it is just as

legitimate to take into account the cogent suggestion put

forward by Italy for a possible rotation of permanent seats

among States of respective regions. We believe that Africa,

Asia and Latin America should have at least two permanent

seats per region in that lofty, decision-making body of the

Organization.

My country, Burundi, wishes to reaffirm its total

commitment to and unswerving support for the noble

ideas upheld by the Organization. We hope that the

United Nations will continue to move forward in the

struggle against racism, intolerance, xenophobia, terrorism

and child prostitution. It is our ardent desire to see this

vast home of mankind promote and further promulgate

the values of peace, freedom and mutual respect and

fraternity among men in order to stave off for all time the

spectre of war, hunger and famine in the world, through

a more generous and more committed international

cooperation. All countries of the world, rich and poor,

small and large, are urged to join forces to meet that

challenge: the challenge of building a better future in a

more just, more peaceful, more human world.