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Dear friends!
Even though
democracy arrived in August 2005, there are still many
soft armies that circulate in Burundi. They are
used from armed gangs and small groups that circulate at night to rob, or
by ex-military and rebels that returned from the war and are not able to
find work, or even by young boys that are confused and psychologically
weakened by the dreadful experiences they endured during the civil war,
from which Burundi is coming out of. The massacres, the atrociousness of
the machete, and the 14 years of war have weakened the Burundian
population to such point that today the soft armies are
often chosen as a way to struggle out of deep poverty. That’s how
violence and corruption keep increasing, slowing down the
process for peace and democratisation of the country.
Now that the
war is over, it is fundamental that the Burundian government, being an
institution of a true democracy, gives a strong sign to the Burundian
population by eliminating the use of arms. This would provide a base for
trust amongst the citizens and towards the politicians.
Therefore, we ask:
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That the complete disarmament of the civil
Burundian population, started by a
UN supervised operation in 2005, be brought to the end.
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For a constant control of the trade of
arms in Burundi.
Adhere by signing the
letter (that you can find on our web site) which we will send to the
President of Burundi
and to the representatives of the Burundian parties on the 15th
of December. The letter will also be sent to all European ministers of
foreign affairs and to the representatives of the European Union in order
to have their total support for this initiative.
Father
Claudio and the 28.000 members of Centre Jeunes Kamenge
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