On Sunday, Burundi’s primary opposition party faced internal division as a faction claimed to have removed its leader, Agathon Rwasa, citing his failure to unite the opposing factions.
Rwasa was ousted during a general assembly in the northern region, with 60-year-old former militia leader Nestor Girukwishakae taking over as the head of the suspended National Freedom Council (CNL).
The CNL, established in 2019, had been suspended by the government last year, alleging “irregularities.” Critics viewed this as an effort by the interior ministry to suppress dissent ahead of the 2025 legislative elections, potentially plunging the country into political instability.
The party’s secretary general, Simon Bizimungu, criticised Rwasa’s removal, arguing that it violated the party’s constitution.
“This is a violation of article 47 of our party’s statutes, which states that only the president and legitimate legal representative is authorised to convene such a meeting,” Bizimungu told newsmen.
Bizimungu accused the interior minister Martin Niteretse of refusing to allow Rwasa to hold a general assembly of his own on March 2, but “gave authorization to a small group of 10 dissidents to organise this masquerade and steal our party from us.”
A senior CNL official said the dissident legislators must submit the decisions of Sunday’s meeting to the interior ministry for approval.
“This is the only way they have found to keep our leader Agathon Rwasa out of the legislative elections scheduled for May 2025, because they are afraid of the political force he represents today,” said Bizimungu.
Media reports indicated that the Sunday meeting unfolded amidst a substantial police presence.
In the 2020 election, Rwasa secured the second position to President Evariste Ndayishimiye, a contest marred by allegations of flaws according to the opposition.
Ndayishimiye, who assumed office following the demise of President Pierre Nkurunziza, received international acclaim for gradually steering the country away from the isolation that characterized his predecessor’s tumultuous rule.
Despite these positive changes, Ndayishimiye has struggled to address a dismal human rights record, and the nation, with a population of 12 million, continues to grapple with profound poverty.
