Among his numerous failures, Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye has been unable to erase and replace the late Pierre Nkurunziza as the “father” of the nation. Driven by jealousy for the spotlight, Ndayishimiye orchestrated the assassination of Nkurunziza, followed by a purge of loyalists, including members of Nkurunziza’s own family.
Unfortunately for Ndayishimiye, every 8th of June serves as a reminder of the late Nkurunziza.
Ndayishimiye has made several attempts to supplant Nkurunziza as the proverbial “Eternal Guide” (Imboneza Yamaho) within the extremist CNDD-FDD, the militarized outfit that rules Burundi. Nkurunziza initially rose to power by feigning a transformation of the CNDD-FDD from a terrorist organization into a peaceful political party. However, in 2015, Nkurunziza revealed his true nature, unleashing brutal repression against protesters and promoting a sectarian, extremist, and genocidal ideology. He also reshaped his party into a cult-like structure, demanding loyalty to him as the “Eternal Guide”, even after he formally handed over power to Ndayishimiye.
But Ndayishimiye had other ideas. He plotted and executed the killing of Nkurunziza, yet ultimately failed to replace him in the eyes of CNDD-FDD members.
This failure is closely tied to Ndayishimiye’s appalling record as president. He presented himself as the holder of all truth and solutions, inheriting the poorest country in the world, plagued by corruption.
Nkurunziza had built an oligarchy of corrupt generals who shared the nation’s meagre resources among themselves.
Ndayishimiye quickly blamed them for all of Burundi’s problems, claiming they were sabotaging his rule. But six years later, he has solved nothing for ordinary Burundians, and corruption and poverty remain synonymous with the nation.
Desperate to gain ethnic credibility, Ndayishimiye tried to outshine Nkurunziza by positioning himself as a defender of the Hutus He launched his army into eastern Congo in a bid to exterminate Congolese Tutsis, hoping for a short, victorious campaign that would earn him favor within the extremist faction of the ruling party.
Instead, his Congolese adventure turned disastrous: thousands of his soldiers returned in body bags, and thousands more were left unburied.
Given so many failures, June 8th comes at the worst possible time for the ruling dictatorship. It is a day that reminds even the most extremist quarters that Ndayishimiye is a failure.
ellenkampire