By East African Gazette
Following the closure of its border with Rwanda, Burundi has been urged by the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) to engage in bilateral discussions with the aim of resolving the issue while upholding the principles of the East African regional bloc.
Dr. Gerald Siranda, the Chair of the Committee on Regional Affairs and Conflict Resolution (CRACR) at EALA, expressed concern over Burundi’s actions, stating that they are in clear violation of the regional bloc’s principles.
On Monday, January 15, 2024, Siranda said his committee traveled to Bujumbura where they had a meeting with the Committee of Parliament of Burundi on Political Affairs Administration and Political Corporation to investigate the extent of parliament’s involvement in the matters.
“Honestly they said these were matters that are executive. We engaged the Secretary General of East African Community (EAC) who met the summit leader as well and there has been communication basically encouraging partner states to understand that we are in this community not just as by the way, we have a treaty, and we have protocols like on free movement and trade,” he added.
Siranda stated that they have urged the two heads of state to prioritize the employment of conflict resolution mechanisms and also requested them to address the issue of immediate blockade.
He provided an illustration of Tanzania, where individuals were allowed to evacuate or enter the country if they were in transit.
“I received calls from over 50 people from all over, that had crossed Uganda, crossed to Rwanda, and when they reached the border of Burundi, they were blocked immediately, so the blockage was immediate. So, you cannot allow, and you cannot expect that you are within the community and you don’t oblige to a lot of things in the community,” he added.
Siranda noted that matters of diplomacy are matters of continuous engagement.
“Painting a big picture, there are many people in Burundi who also want to come. There are students from all over the East African Community (EAC) and we believe the government of Burundi, even if they have issues with the government of Rwanda, they should understand that the decision they do directly affects as we corporate and it’s against the treaty for the establishment of the EAC,” he added.
“The biggest thing is the summit leaders to do an immediate engagement for us to continue convincing Burundi that they can continue with a lot of bilateral engagement but also to allow two end country engagement because if the two leaders meet, sometimes the tension might be deescalated. So it is a continuous process not a one day, remember how long it took between Uganda and Rwanda,” he added.
It was observed that individuals residing in Burundi may be unaware of the current situation, as the tensions lie within the border
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