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January 11-17, 2013

Weekly Media Monitoring report for Burundi
Posted on January 18, 2013

Contents

Compiled by Katalin Berényi, MIGS Desk Officer for Burundi 

  1. Media demonstration for Ruvakuki’s liberation
  2. The rise and fall of newborn rebel groups 
1. Movement for Ruvakuki’s liberation
RTNB, government-owned media

’Certains membres des média observent un mouvement de manifestation devant le palais de la justice de Bujumbura’, Jan 15 2013

  • According to the Burundian Union of Journalists (UJB), they are aware of the organisation of the movement named ’Parquet de Bujumbura’ and that this movement is another way of demanding fair justice for Bonesha FM journalist Hassan Ruvakuki who has been imprisoned for more than a year (for details, see the special report released on November 9th 2012 on the developments of the Ruvakuki case 
2. The rise and fall of newborn rebel groups
Iwacu, independent Burundian media

’2012 and its short-lived rebellions’, by Diane Uwimana Christian Bigirimana, Jan 16 2013

  • Numerous armed movements were born over the course of the last year, especially in neighbouring countries, for instance in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania
  • Many of the armed rebels robbed on the land of Burundi then flew back to the neighbouring countries seeking shelter and escaping justice (as reported regularly in the previous MIGS reports) as armed ’bandits’, especially in the Cibitoke province (North of Burundi) and in the Buganda commune
  • Main newborn rebel group: FMP-Abatabazi 
  • Representing the political opposition, Chauvineau Mugwengezo declared: "we must focus on the political struggle regardless of the duration of the crisis in the country.”
  • For him, the general staff of the FMP-Abatabazi makes the same claims as the ADC-Ikibiri : good governance, the release of good governance, the release of space policy, etc.
  • He believes that the only difference is that this armed option taken by the FMP-Abatabazi at the time where the ADC keeps the policy option
  • For Gaspard Baratuza, spokesman of the army, the security officers control the situation on the ground
  • Mr. Baratuza precises, however, that FMP-Abatabazi is not a group of bandits, since no act of robbery has so far was recorded in connection of this particular rebel group
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