Evariste Ndayishimiye, commonly known as “General Neva,” who assumed the Burundian Presidency by rigging the fraudulent May 2020 elections, snatching the victory away from his rival Aghaton Rwasa, has sealed off the Burundian border with Rwanda. This misguided move, made to appease Congolese ruler Tshisekedi Tshilombo, has not only intensified the isolation of Gitega’s military junta under the leadership of General Neva but also poses significant risks for the landlocked Burundian state.
To begin with, the economic downturn that started during Nkurunziza’s final years has intensified under General Neva’s regime. Life in Burundi under the iron-fisted rule of the former FDD rebel “General Neva” has become increasingly unbearable, and economists now express genuine concerns about the imminent collapse of the Burundian economy following the border closure with Rwanda. Burundians are struggling with unprecedented spikes in prices and shortages of essential commodities such as fuel, sugar, cement, and medicines, all thanks to the incompetence of the military junta dominated by the former CNDD-FDD rebels who seized power in 2005 after the Arusha Tanzania peace agreements.
Secondly, the Gitega military junta is actively undermining the economic integration achieved through the East African Community (EAC), a regional bloc that has been particularly advantageous for Burundians. Since Burundi’s official admission to the EAC on July 1, 2007, the country has experienced substantial economic growth. For instance, in 2019, Burundi achieved historic growth rates of 102.3 percent in commercial presence, 42.6 percent in the presence of natural persons, and 20 percent in intra-EAC trade. However, with the abrupt closure of the border with Rwanda, General Neva’s junta is poised to undo these hard-won gains. For example, in 2021 alone, Burundi exported $307k to Rwanda, while Rwanda exported $3.42M to Burundi.
Thirdly, General Neva’s military junta is throwing the Burundian population into a state of degrading poverty through the border closure. Even in 2022, Burundi ranked among the world’s most impoverished countries, with 87 percent of the population living below the World Bank’s poverty threshold of $1.90 per day. The majority of the population, ranging from 80 to 90 percent, relies on agriculture, mainly subsistence farming, while the youth unemployment rate is 65 percent. With the border sealed shut, these dire conditions are only set to worsen. If General Neva had empathized with the plight of ordinary Burundian citizens, he would have thought twice before implementing the ill-fated decision to close the border with Rwanda.
In summary, General Neva shows his sadism and cynicism when he heedlessly accepts Tshisekedi’s advice and seals the Burundian side of the border with Rwanda. Burundi, already struggling with a crippled economy and facing economic sanctions, including a freeze on bilateral aid imposed by the European Union due to crimes against humanity committed between 2015 and 2016, cannot survive an economic blockade with Rwanda for too long. The military junta, led by General Neva, is in dire need of cross-border trade with Rwanda to revive the Burundian economy. The question remains: Will General Neva sacrifice what little remains of Burundi’s crumbling economy to appease Tshisekedi’s interests while filling his own pockets in the process? Only time will tell.
ellenkampire