Mission
Report
TFF's Second Mission to Burundi
November 2003.
With
Co-Operation Agreement
By
Background
Christian Harleman and Jan Oberg conducted a
fact-finding mission to Burundi between November 26 and
December 6, 2003. (See
websites about the country here). The first TFF
mission took place in March 1999. Unfortunately, since
then it has not been practically possible to implement
the co-operation with Burundi's Ministry of Education and
Burundian NGOs that was planned at the time.
The 2003 mission had three purposes. First, to do
fact-finding in general about the situation and, in
particular, the progress under the Arusha Peace Process.
Second, to explore the possibilities for co-operation
between the government and relevant NGOs on the one hand
and TFF on the other, in order to develop and deepen the
existing competence in fields such as
conflict-understanding, reconciliation and
peace-building. Finally, third, to find out whether it
would be possible, in co-operation with the Swedish
Rescue Services Agency (Statens Räddningsverk),
to establish a health care unit that - in addition to
satisfying some of the evident, urgent needs in the
country - could promote a very practical, on-the-ground
development of such competence.
As is stipulated in the Arusha Agreement, the present
government is transitional, and elections shall be held
in about 11 months from now. By coincidence, a government
reshuffle took place only four days before we arrived;
Minister of Education, Prosper Mpawenayo, who four years
ago had suggested that TFF come to Burundi, left the
government. Given these developments, Harleman and Oberg
did not attempt to establish any direct co-operation with
that Ministry.
Furthermore, there seems to be a general perception
among international NGOs and humanitarian organisations
in the country that the best way to be helpful in this
situation is to engage serious Burundian NGOs, rather
than the government or ministries. Thus we concentrated
on general fact-finding and identification of NGO
partners that TFF could build a coalition with around the
mentioned themes.
We had 39 meeting/interviews with organisations
representing, e.g. women lawyers, youth,
conflict-resolution, social science, reconciliation and
media; we also met with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs
and Health, a presidential adviser as well as
organisations such as UNESCO, CARE, UN-OCHA Burundi,
Search for Common Ground and International Alert.
These meetings and interviews, each of 1-2 hours
duration, gave us a fairly good understanding of the
enormous problems that face the country at this point,
both in general terms and in relation to the peace
process. The Arusha Agreement leaves much to be desired
in terms of basic approach and provisions and, when it
comes to implementation on the ground, may imply
considerable risk-taking by several actors.
At the same time, it is absolutely evident that -
compared with four years ago - the general situation is
more stable and, crucially, that the people are tired of
war and rebel activity. It is clear that there is a new
attitude and there is hope. We met many with good will
and energy to set the country on a course toward peace
and development.
But Burundi ranks as number 171 of the 175 countries
on the UNDP Human Development Index and faces very
serious problems with poverty, social and sexual
violence, refugees abroad and internally displaced
persons, foreign debt, infrastructure, education, AIDS,
rebel activity, corruption, etc. The list of problems
seem inhumanly long…
If one uses basic needs as the overriding criteria,
there is all reason to get engaged in Burundi. Without
international government and NGO assistance, the country
will not stand a chance to move forward, and the risk of
descending into new direct and deeper structural violence
will increase. Much is at stake for this country of 7
million people.
Co-operation
Agreement with Burundian NGOs
Until further, TFF has selected 8 Burundian NGOs with
which we have written a Letter of Understanding
(English
edition& French
edition) concerning a well-structured, future
co-operation, pending the TFF Board so decides and that
such a project will eventually obtain the needed funding.
(The Board decided in favour of this endeavour on
December 8, 2003).
With these eigth organisations we have created the
TFF Amahoro Coalition in
Burundi. "Amahoro" means peace. The Coalition
aims to create synergy among these civil society
organisations and promote horizontal working relations,
something that is somewhat lacking in today's Burundian
NGO community. Further, TFF shall assist the Coalition
members in developing a common program with sub-projects
within the broad field of conflict-handling,
violence-prevention, reconciliation, human rights and
related themes.
Such a broad, multi-competent NGO coalition - all
experienced and having dynamic leaderships - shall serve
to make a difference for the Burundians now when the
peace process needs to be anchored and solidified as well
as carried to all corners of the country (90 per cent of
the people live in the countryside).
The organisations have declared themselves willing,
within a few weeks, to try to create a broad multi-year
program with subprojects that TFF shall be able to
deliver inputs to but which it shall not steer; it is
essential that the NGO partners in Burundi feel that it
is their project, not TFF's. Later, TFF will present the
Amahoro Coalition's project proposal with a funding plan
to Sida, the Swedish
International Development Cooperation Agency and
possibly other potential donors.
Party to the Letter of Understanding is also Dr.
Adolphe Sururu, Burundi's National University, who
will serve as program co-ordinator and Ms.
Chantal Mutamuriza who will be our liaison, practical
assistant, interpreter and translator. We are happy that
they have both accepted to become TFF Associates and play
these very important roles.
At least for the moment, TFF does not intend to
establish an organisation in the country. Until further,
we believe that our two Associates can provide an
excellent support for the Coalition and a bridge-builder
for TFF. With relevant officials at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs we have investigated what formal
requirements the government applies vis-a-vis foreign
NGOs working in Burundi. For the type of activity we aim
to conduct as part of the Amahoro Coalition, there is no
need for formal registration of TFF with local
authorities. However all our partners are, of course,
registered under Burundian law.
During our conversation with the Minister of Foreign
Affairs, we were asked whether we would be willing to
take up contact with FNL militia representatives living
in Denmark and Sweden in order to encourage them to put
pressure on the FNL back home. We simply said we were
willing to do whatever could be helpful at the moment,
and the minister promised to come back to us if he
obtained the acceptance by the President.
The health care
unit
During our meeting with the Ministers of Health and
Foreign Affairs, we presented the Swedish
Rescue Services Agency (Statens Räddningsverks)
health care unit project. The Minister of Health
expressed his gratitude and interest and emphasised that
the unit must be seen as part of an integrated approach;
he was ready to explore how the unit could be set up both
in co-operation with a humanitarian NGO as well as with
e.g. UNICEF, or with both. What is required to implement
the project is a formal agreement with the Ministry of
Health and a bilateral one between the Swedish and the
Burundian Ministries of Foreign Affairs.
Proposals for
future activities
1. In all possible
way to assist our Burundian partners in the Amahoro
Coaltion to develop the common program, including a
budget proposal.
2. To present the
Program to Sida and other relevant donors.
3. Report to the
relevant officials in charge of Africa/Great
Lakes/Burundi at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Afairs
and Sida, in particular those who participated in the
official Swedish delegation which visited the Great Lakes
Region in November 2003.
4. Write a series
of TFF PressInfos about the situation in Burundi that can
serve, in the best of cases, to attract positive
attention to the country, to the Arusha Peace process and
contribute to an increased international awareness and
understanding of the fact that NOW is the time for the
international community to engage in this country.
5. Create a photo
series on TFF's website; Jan Oberg took many pictures
during the mission.
6. Take up contact
with FNL representatives in Denmark and Sweden if asked
to do so by Bujumbura.
7. Do follow-up
with the Swedish Rescue Services Agency
(Räddningsverket) concerning the health unit
discussed.
8. Write a series
of articles for the Nordic and international press about
Burundi, the country that works, against almost all odds,
to consolidate the peace and only is likely to succeed if
given the necessary minimum attention and assistance from
abroad - now.
We want to thank the Swedish Ministry of Foreign
Affairs for the economic support that made it possible to
conduct this mission which is part of our
larger project on Reconciliation and Forgiveness.
Christian Harleman & Jan Oberg
Bujumbura - December 5, 2003
©
TFF 2004
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