Burundi : a local organization calls for the resignation of the government

The Observatory for the fight against corruption and economic embezzlement, OLUCOME, called on the Burundian government on Tuesday to “make a courageous decision” and “resign” because it is unable to find a solution to the generalized crisis that the country is going through. According to its report, the prices of products and services have increased by between 31 and 400% since last April.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Gabriel Rufyiri, OLUCOME chairperson, speaks of a “revolting” situation in a country that has the institutions. He called on the government to “resign”, starting with the minister in charge of trade. For the chairperson of the rare organization fighting corruption and economic embezzlement in Burundi, it is a decision that requires courage “that the management team does not have”.

“I live in Europe, when a person is no longer able to fulfill their mission, which shows that they are honest and courageous, they resign”, he explained in a press briefing that he hosted in the commercial city of Bujumbura on Tuesday.

“But it is very difficult here because of corruption, that is the truth”, insisted Gabriel Rufyiri.

Dette-Salut

The Burundian government should contract a debt of 500 million dollars to face the rise in prices, according to OLUCOME.

A food market that has experienced an excessive increase in prices (SOS Médias Burundi)

For this Observatory, it is impossible to fight against the excessive rise in prices in Burundi as long as the authorities compete to do business.

According to surveys carried out between April and November 2024 by OLUCOME, the prices of basic necessities in particular have increased by between 31% and 400%. The main causes mentioned by Gabriel Rufyiri include poor governance, the selfishness of the country’s managers, insufficient production and the lack of export products which leads to a shortage of foreign currencies.

He suggests that the government urgently request a loan of $500 million from various partners to be able to get out of the current crisis.

“I am sure that there would no longer be a fuel problem because with the rotation system, we will have time to look for our own foreign currencies. The country must also invest in the cultivation of export products such as coffee, tea, avocados, cotton and make the mining sector productive,” said Mr. Rufyiri.

He also emphasizes the importance of a favorable business climate to “encourage and reassure foreign investors and the Burundian diaspora.” And to achieve this, Gabriel Rufyiri believes that political leaders should close their businesses permanently, an activity that goes against the law, according to the chairperson of OLUCOME.

Gabriel Rufyiri, who has held “individual” protests in the past, also plans to take other actions and calls on Burundians to “refuse this situation.”

There was no direct reaction from the Burundian government. But in a meeting with diplomats in the commercial capital Bujumbura on Tuesday, the head of the Burundian diplomacy Albert Shingiro described an image of a country that has made significant progress in improving good governance and maintaining peace and security, which did not convince his audience.

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Gabriel Rufyiri, OLUCOME chairperson