GITEGA, November 18th (ABP) – The President of the Republic of Burundi and Chairperson of the Council of the Wise of the CNDD-FDD party, Evariste Ndayishimiye, along with the deputy secretary of that party, Cyriaque Nshimirimana, and the national secretaries of the said party, closed on Saturday, November 16, 2024 in Gitega (central Burundi), the week marking the commemoration of the heroes of the fight for Peace and Democracy in Burundi “Intwari 2024” under the theme: “The armed fight is over, the fight for development goes: withstand against it on the basis of the national vision 2040-2060”, a check by ABP revealed.
Those ceremonies were also attended by the Speaker of the National Assembly of the country, Daniel Gélase Ndabirabe, Burundian Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca, officers of the defense and security forces as well as veterans.
The Chairman of the CNDD-FDD’s Council of the Wise indicated in his speech that the week was an opportunity to look back on the past, and look into the present to finally have an idea for the future. This date, according to him, is a day of peace.
He congratulated the surviving fighters who remained worthy of their name because there are those who betrayed it. “It is also an opportunity to commemorate the valiant fighters who lost their lives in search for democracy and peace in the country,” he said. He added that the veterans (Intwari), still alive, must be characterized by good deeds in the community or the workplace in order to demonstrate their bravery. He called on them to engage in income-generating activities in order to effectively combat poverty, because, he said, poverty resides at the mental level.
The President of the Republic called on the Bagumyabanga in general and the Intwari in particular to remember the goals that led them to form an armed group. Currently, he regrets, they are fighting for positions instead of being good leaders and visionaries. He reminded them of the fighters’ slogan stating that “It is better to die fighting for the country”.
He did not forget to point out that some Burundians are handicapped by banditry in almost all sectors of national life. He invited the participants to effectively combat this type of behavior and to go about work that generates income in order to achieve sustainable development.
“We have won the armed fight and we are building the country but the scars of past times remain an obstacle to the extent that there are people who remain characterized by laziness and who want to eat without working, or others want to live by squandering or stealing public or other people’s property. On the battlefield, we fought for peace and security and not for political positions,” Evariste Ndayishimiye explained.
Mr. Ndayishimiye invited the Bagumyabanga and Burundians in general to cut short with the behavior of the governments before 2005 that were engaged in killing and burying in mass graves and sowing division.
According to him, no one could discriminate against their neighbor but discrimination comes from the authorities and bad governance traumatizes the population. He asked the fighters to take into account the painful moments that have passed on the battlefield and unite for the building of a better future by avoiding the anger that could induce them in the same moments of war.
In his speech, Mr. Cyriaque Nshimirimana said that the date of November 16 is a special date marking the victory of peace and democracy in Burundi thanks to the Burundians who gave their all in the fight for peace and democracy in Burundi. He thus called on them to follow the bravery that characterized those heroes.
The deputy secretary general of the CNDD-FDD party called on the Bagumyabanga to go about development work in order to increase production. He said that the armed fight is already over but the fight for development goes on; hence poverty must be effectively combated based on the vision of 2040 and of 2060. “The veterans and the Bagumyabanga in general must stand on the fight for development while ensuring that peace and security are no longer threatened,” he stressed.
Speaking of the achievements, he noted that the party’s general secretariat has already set up a department in charge of the Intwari, and has started the construction of 500 houses for the Intwari in all the provinces of the country at a rate of 100 houses per province, as a token of appreciation.
He ended his remarks by specifying that the CNDD-FDD party will continue this noble work and that it intends to update the list of veterans, write a book marking the course of the battle, and inventory all the objects that characterized the battle and the consolidation of BAOBAB microfinance dedicated to veterans.