In Burundi, President Evariste Ndayishimiye held his first press conference two days ago since he came to power two years ago. A marathon interview with dozens of journalists, which ultimately lasted more than six hours. The Head of State reviewed a large number of subjects, addressing, as he himself admitted, questions that had not even been asked of him.
Certain subjects have attracted more attention, such as the Burundian armed groups in the east of the DRC, the tumultuous relations with the Rwandan neighbor.
But the Burundian president was first expected on the issue of purchasing power, and the many shortages facing the population. Despite an increase of nearly 50% in the price of fuel since the beginning of the year, there is still a severe shortage of gasoline and diesel in this country where there is also a lack of a bit of everything: sugar, cement , beer or medicines, while the prices of transport and all other products have risen sharply.
General Ndayishimiye preferred to play cards on the table with a population that no longer hides its dissatisfaction, and that he calls to be ” resilient “. Burundi, ranked the poorest country in the world in 2021 by the World Bank, is in dire need of foreign currency to import everything it needs. ” Be patient and produce more to change the situation “, therefore launched the Burundian head of state.
Another topic that caught the eye was his appeal to Burundian rebel groups who have their rear base in eastern neighboring DRC. Evariste Ndayishimiye said he was ready to dialogue again with RED-Tabara and the FNL, even if his soldiers had been tracking them for months on Congolese soil.
Finally, he took stock of the normalization process with neighboring Rwanda, which has been struggling for a year with Gitega’s demand that Kigali hand over the alleged perpetrators of the 2015 coup attempt in Burundi today. refugees in Rwanda today. The Burundian president reiterated his request, assuring that ” After that there won’t be any more problems between us “.