Yearbook 2006
Burundi. Following continued sporadic fighting during the
year, the last armed hut movement, the National Liberation
Forces (FNL), entered into a cease-fire agreement with the
government in October. All members of the FNL were granted
legal immunity for political crimes, but not for war crimes,
which will be examined by a future Truth Commission. Already
in April, the nightly curfew that had been in effect for 34
years was lifted.
In 2005, Burundi had been characterized by optimism, when
general elections led to a division of power that would put
an end to the ethnic conflict between Hutu and Tutsi. Now,
pessimism rose again and the new government was increasingly
criticized for incompetence and corruption. The dominant
party, the former Hutumilis Democratic Defense Forces (FDD),
was accused of putting the divide of power in practice.
According to
CountryAAH, the
human rights organization Human Rights Watch accused the
security service of summary executions of at least 38 people
during the year and hundreds of arbitrary arrests.
In October, the country was shocked by the news that
seven high-ranking politicians, including former President
Domitien Ndayizeye and a former vice president, had been
arrested following allegations of preparations for coup
attempts. The Supreme Court was criticized for bowing to
political pressure when it changed its decision to release
them against bail. Within the opposition, there were strong
doubts that there were any coup plans, and Vice President
Alice Nzomukunda resigned in protest of what she called
human rights violations and corruption on the part of the
FDD leadership.
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