Makamba : the spread of hate speech is worrying

CNDD-FDD representatives in different areas of Makamba province (southern Burundi) have been increasing their visits in all the villages in recent days. They call on the activists of the ruling party qto “eliminate opponents”.
Some members of this party disavow this speech while opponents call on the electoral commission to monitor the situation closely.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Ruling party officials in the Makamba zones are spreading this speech in a campaign called “campaign of explaining the line of conduct during the elections”. This is a campaign that began last week. Last Friday, our sources gave the example of the CNDD-FDD representative in the Kazirabageni zone in the Nyanza-Lac district. He crisscrossed the villages of his zone, calling on his subjects to “kill opponents”.

“During this period, anyone who wants to oppose us must be sent to heaven (be killed). There are times when we are forced to send them to heaven in a hurry and repentance comes afterwards”, declared Gabriel, CNDD-FDD leader in Kazirabageni. The man happens to be a catechist in a Protestant church in the region. SOS Médias Burundi was unable to obtain the name of this representative of the ruling party in Kazirabageni.

He revealed a plan also aimed at arresting opponents and “only releasing them after the elections”.

“Be vigilant, go to the bars, watch out for these people, especially from the opposition, who criticize our regime, who denounce the increase in food prices. Those who are not sent to heaven in a hurry will be arrested and put in prison to be released after the elections,” he insisted.

According to witnesses who participated in these meetings, even though most did not support this ideology, no one openly disavowed these statements.

Many CNDD-FDD activists claim that this local representative was until now known for “his tolerance of opponents”. They describe him as “a moderate activist” and suspect “a slogan emanating from the central or provincial office of the party”.

According to various sources within the CNDD-FDD, “these teachings have been transmitted to all zones of the country”.

Opposition party activists denounce these teachings but nevertheless affirm that this has always characterized CNDD-FDD leaders during the pre-election and election period when several opponents must be arbitrarily arrested and imprisoned. Opposition party leaders ask the CENI (Independent National Electoral Commission) to monitor the situation closely and to act.

The national commission in charge of elections, considered by opposition party leaders to be “a tailor-made body for the CNDD-FDD”, has never expressed itself on the concerns already raised by the opposition, including the forced registration of voters for the 2025 and 2027 elections.

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A gathering of CNDD-FDD activists, August 2024 (SOS Médias Burundi)