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17-24 March 2016

Weekly Media Monitoring report for Burundi
Posted on March 29, 2016

Contents

Compiled by Francesca Ekwuyasi

  1. Assassinations and Violent Attacks on Military, Police, and Civilian Personnel
  2. Burundi’s Opposition Alliance, CNARED, Calls in the International Community to Refuse to Recognize Nkurunziza’s Regime
  3. Fears of Famine and Starvation Arise
1.      Assassinations and Violent Attacks on Military, Police, and Civilian Personnel
Social Media

(SOS Media , Social Media, March 22, 2016, in French) 

Bujumbura : un major de l'armée burundaise abattu à la sortie d'un bar

  • On March 22, 2016, Major Didier Muhimpundu of the Burundian Army was shot in the city center.
  • Statements from witnesses indicate that Major Muhimpundu received a phone call requesting that he leave the bar (Hibiscus) where he had spent the evening, he was then shot at the exit of the bar.

Un Policier Meurt Sous Des Coups de Feu

  • According to witnesses in the area, a policeman was shot and killed in the neighborhood of Carama, North of the capital of Bujumbura, in the area of Kinama

Gisozi (Mwaro) : Deux Familles Attaquées par des Hommes Armés

  • In the hill of the Ruciano community of Gisozi in Mwaro Province, two families were attacked by armed me.
  • There have been reports of gunfire and cries of distress in the area, but more information on the attack is at yet unknown.

Le lieutenant Colonel Darius Ikurakure Abattu

  • The Burundian army confirms that Lieutenant Colonel Darius Ikurakure, a commander of the “bataillon de génie”, was killed in Bujumbura at the time that most of the military personnel were on a lunch break.
  • The man responsible for the assassination is currently on the run.
Privately Owned Media

(Radio Isanganiro, Privately Owned Media, March 23, 2016, in French)

Double assassinat au sein de la FDN : Lt-Col.Darius Ikurakure et Maj. Didier Muhimpundu

  • Lieutenant Colonel Darius Ikurakure, battalion commander was killed in the early afternoon of Tuesday by an unknown person in a gathering of the General Staff of the National Defence Force.
  • Military officials urge the army to “remain calm and to resist any attempts at manipulation aimed at destroying the national defence force”.
  • After the murder, gunshots were heard in the Ngagara and Mutakura neighborhoods, and entry into the Nyakabiga district was temporarily closed.
  • Major Dider Muhimpundu was also killed on Tuesday evening. He ws shot by an unknown gun person as he exited a bar in downtown Bujumbura.
2. Burundi’s Opposition Alliance, CNARED, Calls in the International Community to Refuse to Recognize Nkurunziza’s Regime
Privately Owned Media

(RSF Bonesha FM, Privately Owned Media, March 23, 2016, in French)

Le CNARED demande à la communauté internationale de ne pas reconnaître le régime Nkurunziza.

  • In a statement released on Wednesday, the Burundian opposition alliance, CNARED, claim that Nkurunziza’s presidency is illegal.
  • They call for the international community not recognize his presidency, and instead support the president of CNARED, Léonard Nyangoma.
3. Fears of Famine and Starvation Aris
Privately Owned Media

(RSF Bonesha FM, Privately-Owned Media, March 23, 2016, in French) Muyinga : Une vingtaine de personnes morte suite à la famine

  • Since the beginning of March 2016, more than twenty people have died in the Ruganigwa site in the Muyinga province. These deaths are said to be a direct result of the famine, extreme poverty, and lack of decent housing available for the Batwa[1] people who live in the area.
  • Governor Manirabarusha Aline of the Muyinga province, claims to have approached the World Food Program (WFP) for emergency action. She also called community administrators to mobilize the population to help each other.
  • The WFP started to distribute food in the area but the program will only last three months.
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