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To His Excellency the President of the Republic of Burundi
and Esteemed Representatives of Burundi's political
parties,
The democratic process, set out with the
agreements of Arusha, and the following free elections in august 2005
have been accepted with great delight by people all over the world,
that have been following the Burundian events in the past years. The
political stability of the last years makes us hope that there will be
continuity for a solid development for the population of the north districts
of Bujumbura
as well as the rest of the country. All the government efforts in the
process of reconciliation and democratisation of the country are
noteworthy.
Today, Burundians
are demonstrating their courage: day after day they work together to
overcome the deep-seated fear and suspicion brought by the many years
of civil war. Even though most of them have experienced great
injustices, they are putting the past behind them and looking towards a
peaceful future. Many look for explanations to justify past events. But
these questions will be addressed at the proper time, when the
Burundians have acquired total faith and trust in their own country and
in their politicians, but also in themselves and in their
neighbours.
What is really
urgent now is the effort to ensure total peace and an utter rejection
of all types of violence, both physical and moral. This effort has been
launched by the youth and adults of the north districts who hope at
last to be able to move around in freedom and to enjoy happiness in
their villages and districts. This request is particularly heard at a international level and
needs to be supported.
It is for this
reason that we have decided to approach, in all humility, His
Excellency the President and the esteemed representatives of all
political parties.
It is for this reason that we have decided to
enquire with faithful respect to You and all the Representatives of the
political parties.
Too often we hear
news about pointless and everyday murders carried out during the night
by armed gangs, groups of thieves, former soldiers and rebels. The last
episode came on May 7th when Mr. Jérôme Ninteretse, the
highest representative of Centre Jeunes Kamenge, to which he was
committed since 1992
as a peace promoter, was killed with his wife and his son. It
is unpleasant
to hear about so many episodes of murder, even in the interior of the
country. Weekly, for revenge
or simply for economic interests, people and families are murdered or
threatened and often forced to escape. There are still too
many examples of inappropriate violent acts by the police and soldiers
which have instilled fear in communities.
Your Excellency the
President and esteemed representatives of the Burundian political
parties, we humbly offer our complete collaboration and support. We ask
you to resume disarmament programmes in Burundi
and to ensure tight controls over illegal arms-trafficking in the
country.
This would not only
engender a new awareness among the citizens of Burundi; they would also
feel protected and supported by their government in the country's path
to peace. Furthermore, this would be an essential step towards ensuring
the foundations for the development of the country. It can only be
achieved if there is trust and collaboration between the different
players in democracy - executives and citizens.
We enclose the
signatures of all those who have chosen to join this initiative. These
people are sensitive to the Burundian situation and towards all those
countries that still live with war and violence.
In
the hope of receiving feedback from our offer of collaboration, we wish
you luck with your work.
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