The Burundian ruling party, CNDD-FDD, just completed its annual National Congress with an unexpected twist. The Burundian President had lobbied and planned for the removal of the party’s powerful Secretary General, but instead faced brutal questions for his role in the Congo-Burundi mess in South Kivu.
In closed sessions of the party’s congress, their “conseil des sages” (Elders Council), did not mince words in rebuking President Evariste Ndayishimiye aka Gen. Neva.
“Never has Burundi faced such humiliation,” one of the delegate lamented, and went on, “after singing Uvira will not fall for months, your troops just ran like cowards!”
This challenge followed a series of questions about the financial nitty gritty of the operation. “How are you financing an army in Congo when we can’t even afford fuel?” another member of the Elders Council questionned.
Gen. Neva had assumed himself to be all powerful, and fooled himself into the delusion that his wishes would be a command for his party. He planned to use the congress to cement his control over the party by appointing a new executive committee, since the current one regularly defies him.
Instead, the congress and the closed sessions turned out to be a referendum of his five year rule.
On the economy, Ndayishimiye’s results are catastrophic. Burundi is the poorest country in the world. Corruption, nepotism, injustice, trafficking (drugs, mining and even human beings) are all words closely associated with Ndayishimiye’s regime.
Yet his single biggest failure is military. Singlehandedly, Ndayishimiye aka Gen. Neva dragged Burundi into a war, primarily for self-enrichment.
Naturally, his humiliating defeats also threatened the Burundi’s national security.
A powerful member of the party summarized the recently concluded congress, “Gen. Neva will have to be careful; if he doesn’t get tangible results, next time we meet, we will accuse him of high treason!”
The man added that Gen. Neva’s wife too might be accused of treason!”
Evariste Ndayishimiye aka Gen. Neva isn’t sleeping these days.