February 20, 2022
This Week in Human Rights News
EU lifts sanctions on Burundi
Sources: The Conversation, BBC (1, 2), IWACU-Burundi, France24, The East African, Human Rights Watch, African Arguments
Content Warning: Discussion of state violence, death, sexual violence
Economic sanctions from the US and EU on the country of Burundi have recently been lifted after seven years of restrictions. The US lifted sanctions in November 2021 and the EU followed suit in early 2022.
As one of the smallest countries on the African continent, Burundi is one of the few countries to maintain pre-colonial geographic boundaries after being forcibly joined with Rwanda during Belgian colonisation in the early 20th century.
Sanctions were imposed in 2015 following political violence under the leadership of former president Pierre Nkurunziza.
After attempting to amend the constitution to allow him to rule for a third presidential term, President Nkurunziza faced significant public opposition and even a failed coup attempt against him.
The opposition campaign was led under the slogan “Halte au troisième mandat” (Stop the Third Campaign). During a campaign announcement, supporters noted that their issue was with the third term proposal – which was viewed as a violation of the Constitution – rather than with the then-current President himself.
In response, President Nkurunziza’s government radicalised quickly and violence intensified. State-sanctioned violence continued over the following years.
In 2017, France24 reported that in two years, 1,200 people had been killed and 400 to 900 had disappeared. In the same time period, 10,000 people had been detained without trial and 400,000 people fled the country seeking asylum.
Economic sanctions imposed even further hardship onto Burundi. Following the death of President Nkurunziza in June 2020, current President Évariste Ndayishimiye was elected and sworn in during the same month.
President Ndayishimiye is partly credited with the EU’s decision to lift sanctions. The East African reported that the EU decision was guided by ‘positive signs’ on his administration in regards to human rights and rule of law.
In an article for Human Rights Watch, Executive Director for HRW’s Africa Division, Mausi Segun, warned against using premature optimism of Burundi’s new government to turn away from violence that is still being committed.
While the lifting of sanctions is a promising first step towards economic revival that will hopefully benefit the country, it is not the only measure that should be taken in ensuring peace and prosperity for Burundian civilians.
Burundian poet and activist Ketty Nivyabandi provided insight into the horrific violence under Nkurunziza’s rule. She expressed her perspective in an article for African Arguments following the news of his death.*
“My tears, instead, are for the lives forever bruised and haunted by the pain his regime caused.” She wrote, “I cry for the country we could have had these past five years; for the blood that could have been spared; for the memories families could have built together; for the amputated limbs of our young protestors; for the elderly who walked kilometres to end their lives in refugee camps; for the million little broken pieces so many of us have become.”
*Content warning: This article includes details of violence, r*pe