BUJUMBURA, February 18th (ABP) – The Burundian Head of State, Evariste Ndayishimiye, along with the First Lady, Angeline Ndayishimiye, returned, on Monday, February 17, 2025, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he participated in the 38th ordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU).
The First Lady participated, for her part, in the 29th General Assembly of the Organization of African First Ladies for Development.
In an interview with the press, the President’s spokesperson, Rosine Guilène Gatoni, indicated that on the agenda of the conference of Heads of State and government was the election of new governing bodies of the African Union.
In that context, she informed that President Evariste Ndayishimiye was elected first vice-president of the conference of Heads of State, and the presidency of the African Union went to Angolan President João Lourenço.
Following these elections, Mahamoud Youssouf Ali of Djibouti was elected president of the African Union commission, and Selma Malika his deputy from Algeria, Rosine Guilène Gatoni said. The President’s spokesperson further indicated that the conference of Heads of State and Government was also an opportunity to assess the progress made in relation to the aspirations of the African Union over the past year, through the analysis of various reports in various sectors: socio-economy, health, peace and security, development, and many others. In analyzing all these reports, Rosine Guilène Gatoni underscored that the Burundian Head of State also contributed, particularly with regard to the report on peace and security in Africa. He joined his voice to that of his counterparts in firmly condemning all terrorist acts on the African continent, as well as the crises and wars that continue to mourn the continent, particularly in the eastern DRC. The Head of State noted that, if nothing is done, this crisis risks flaring up and spreading. To remedy this, the Burundian President proposed three concrete and urgent actions. The first is an immediate ceasefire, in order to create an environment conducive to dialogue. This would also make it possible to open a humanitarian corridor so that humanitarian aid can reach the afflicted and wounded populations, said the spokesperson for the President.
Secondly, the Burundian Head of State called on the international community to take concrete and urgent action, especially by supporting the DRC in the dismantling of all armed forces present on Congolese soil, particularly in the part that has been engulfed. According to Gatoni, if the international community participates in the dismantling of all armed forces, the presence of Rwandan defense forces on Congolese soil would no longer be justified, because today this presence is justified by the fact of fighting the FDLR. And if, in this case, the international community dismantles all armed groups, including the FDLR, Rwanda would no longer have any justification for sending its forces to Congolese soil, which could be a peaceful outcome to the conflict.
Thirdly, the President of the Republic mentioned the M23 group, which has resorted to violence to resolve the problems that arise. According to him, the M23 group must engage in the mediation process, the inter-Congolese dialogue process. This could also save innocent lives, human lives, because until today, it is the civilian populations who are grieving and dying day after day.
It is worthy to note that during the conference of Heads of State and Government of the AU, confidence was renewed in Domitien Ndayizeye, former President of the Republic of Burundi, for a second term in the panel of Wise Persons of the African Union.