On
April 9, UK
Mission to the
UN
spokesperson
Iona Thomas
replied to
Inner City
Press that "I
can confirm
that Feltman
raised this
issue in the
Council
discussion on
Burundi
yesterday and
members of the
Council
expressed
their concern
at the
reports."
UN
Spokesperson
Stephane
Dujarric, in
response to
Inner City
Press' request
for
confirmation
that Ladsous,
who was France's
Deputy
Permanent
Representative
at the UN
during the
1994 Rwanda
genocide
against the
Tutsis,
had received
the Burundi
cable merely
pointed to a read-out
of Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
April 6
meeting with
Burundi's
First
Vice-President
of the
Republic of
Burundi
Prosper
Bazombanza.
That UN read-out
says that "the
Secretary-General
expressed
strong
concerns about
reports
concerning
activities of
Burundian
youth groups
and urged the
relevant
national
authorities to
investigate
these
reports."
But it is the
government
itself that is
accused of
distributing
pistols,
uniforms and
AK-47s to the
"youth
groups," which
the UN
read-out
leaves
unnamed. Is
this "Rights
Up Front"?
US
Ambassador
Samantha Power
traveled from
Rwanda to
Burundi and issued a
statement
that the
"United States
will provide
$7.5 million
in assistance
for the
Burundian
electoral
process" and
expressing
concerns,
here. It did
not directly
mention the
alleged
distribution
of weapons to
the Imbonerukure
or the cable.
France,
in
the same week
that it
snubbed the
Rwanda
genocide
commemoration
and called any
suggestion it
was complicit
in the 1994
killings
"disgraceful,"
holds the pen
on Burundi in
the Security
Council.
That is to
say, it was up
to France
after Feltman
came and
raised the
memo to then
pen and push
for fast
adoption some
output: a
resolution or
Statement. But
this did not
happen -- until
a week after
the cable.
Instead,
when
at the end of
a higher
profile
consultation
with High
Commissioner
on Human
Rights Navi
Pillay
including on
Syria, where
France is
pushing a
referral to
the
International
Criminal
Court, April's
Council
president Joy
Ogwu of
Nigeria
emerged to
speak to the
press, there
were only two
journalists
there
including
Inner City
Press. She
mentioned
Feltman's
briefing, but
not the cable
or its
contents.
Nine
hours later,
Australia's
Ambassador to
the UN Gary
Quinlan
tweeted,
"#UNSC
discussed
deteriorating
situation in
#Burundi for
2nd time in 2
weeks - signs
of political
exclusion
&
oppression
deeply
concerning."
The
French Mission
to the UN --
the penholder
on Burundi --
was even less
specific:
"Under
Secretary
General
Jeffrey
Feltman has
briefed #UNSC
on current
political
tensions in
#Burundi."
So is the main
difference in
20 years since
the Rwanda
genocide the
speed of leaks
and of social
media?
Other
questions are
pending. Here
is the full
text of the
April 3, 2014
cable:
CONFIDENTIAL
OUTGOING
CODE
CABLE
TO:
FELTMAN,
UNATIONS, NEW
YORK
INFO:
LADSOUS,
UNATIONS, NEW
YORK
ROBINSON,
O-SESG-GL,
NAIROBI
FROM:
[for]
ONANGA-ANYANGA,
BNUB,
BUJUMBURA
DATE:
3 April 2014
REFERENCE:
CDN-037
SUBJECT:
Reports
of alleged
distribution
of weapons to
the
Imbonerakure
Summary:
Informs
on reports of
alleged
distribution
of weapons
[to] ruling
CNDD-youth
wing and
actions taken
by BNUB.
1.
"This follows
my cable
CND-022 of 26
February in
which I
informed of
allegations of
distribution
of weapons to
the ruling
CNDD-FCC youth
wing the
"Imbonerakure."
2.
Yesterday UN
Chief Security
Adviser (CSA)
in Burundi
conveyed the
following
message from
the DSS daily
sitrep:
"After
information
gathered from
key
informants,
there was
distribution
of weapons and
outfits
military and
police during
the months of
January and
February for
youth
affiliated to
the CNDD - FDD
(IMBONERAKURE)
party and the
demobilized
ex-AIMP
Rumonge. An
ad-hoc meeting
was held in a
hotel call[ed]
KUKANYAMUENZA
belonging to a
"General de
Brigade"
located
Nduwumunsi in
Rumonge. A
night training
for the
handling of
these weapons
would be
located on the
side of the
central prison
of Rumonge
(KUMUREMBWE)
and the
surrounding
population
would have
heard gunfire.
These same
activities
(distribution
of weapons)
would be
considered to
take place in
the commune of
Nyzana-Laca,
Kibago and
Mabanda in
Makamba
province.
Another face
which tends to
confirm the
news, these
are the
statements of
people who
participated
in these
meetings but
refused to
receive
weapons.
Two
generals
originating in
the province
of BURURI
ex-AIMP whose
names follow:
Bde General
Nduwumunsi
(currently
Director
General of
former
Combatants)
and General -
Major
Niyungeko
Jevenal aka
KIROHO
(currently
head of the
Office of
military
Cooperation)
would be
supervisors of
these
activities
(distributions
of weapons and
military and
police
uniforms). In
this meeting
they
emphasized
especially,
that the
beneficiaries
of these
weapons must
remain
vigilant and
that when
there is a
trigger that
each take care
of their
opponents in
their
proximity /
neighbourhood."
3. I
have
undertaken
consultations
with key
embassies
including
United States,
Belgium and
the
Netherlands,
all involved
in security
sector support
activities, to
corroborate
the
information
and plan to
raise the
matter with
the relevant
ministers. The
ambassadors
informed have
confirmed the
grave nature
of the
allegations
which if
confirmed may
have
implications
for bi-lateral
assistance
programmes.
Observations
4. CSA
in Burundi
confirmed the
reliability of
the sources.
5. The
Imbonerakure
actions have
been on the
rise since the
beginning of
the year and
are one of the
major threats
to peace in
Burundi and to
the
credibility of
the 2015
elections as
they are
responsible
for most
politically
motivated
violence
against
opposition.
BNUB has
documented 27
cases
implicating
the
Imbonerakure
so far in
2014, 23 of
which have
been
politically
motivated.
6. The
Imbonerakure
act in
collusion with
the local
authorities
and with total
impunity. In
the country
side they have
replaced the
law enforcing
agencies and
act as a
militia over
and above the
police, the
army and the
judiciary.
Opposition
parties have
repeatedly
complaint
[sic] about
the
Imbonerakure
violence.
7. One
can only
speculate
about the
purpose of the
distribution
of weapons and
uniforms in
Bururi which
is a
traditional
stronghold of
the UPRONA.
However the
last sentence
of the message
indicated a
highly
decentralized
chain of
command which
is consistent
with reliable
information on
Imbonerakure
modus operandi
on the ground.
8. In
February BNUB
had informed
of the
disappearance
of 500
uniforms from
military and
police
installations
as well as the
distribution
of 9mm
pistols.
Although not
confirmed
there are
indications
that the
weapons
distributed
this time can
be AK-47
assault
rifles. DSS
has also
informed in
the past of
radio messages
for the
population "to
be ready."
9. We
will continue
to closely
monitor the
situation and
keep you
informed.
Now
what? Watch
this site.