In a shameless display, President Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi put a controversial spin on the traditional Independence Day celebrations by openly showcasing his de facto dependence on Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the FDLR genocidaires. Spectators were treated to a massive military parade featuring Congolese style special forces, known as “Hibou”, a deliberate move to flaunt the toxic Ndayishimiye-Tshisekedi-FDLR alliance.
“We just witnessed PARMEHUTU, the most extreme genocidaire ideology, march through Bujumbura,” remarked a political analyst. “The marching units also sent a loud message to Tutsis across the region: Burundi is no longer pretending to be anything less than pure PARMEHUTU.”
Visibly irritated spectators at the stadium, largely due to the archaic, uncovered venue, murmured throughout the parade, asking, “Are these even Burundians?” while the more cynical whispered, “Where were they when Uvira fell to M23?”
The geopolitical context is further troubling for analysts. “This appears to be a botched attempt to provoke outrage in the region,” one noted. “Parading FDLR and FARDC forces is essentially a call for war, especially as the region struggles to implement various peace initiatives.”
Burundi’s ruling party, CNDD-FDD, has a long established relationship with genocidal movements in the region. Its cadres have been known allies of the FDLR since the early 1990s, when both groups converged in DR Congo. At that time, they hatched a plan to destabilize Burundi from Congo in order to facilitate attacks against Rwanda. Having committed the 1994 genocide against Tutsis in Rwanda, the FDLR’s ultimate goal remains to retake the country, complete the extermination of Tutsis, and rewrite history.
With Evariste Ndayishimiye and Félix Tshisekedi in power, FDLR and PARMEHUTU extremists see a unique opportunity to advance their racist agenda. Minembwe, one of the few remaining Tutsi villages in DR Congo, bears the brunt of these violent ideologies, suffering daily bombings and attacks from Bujumbura.
ellenkampire