Burundi's priorities as chair of the PSC - Ambassador Joël Nkurabagaya
The PSC Report asked Joël Nkurabagaya, Ambassador of Burundi to the AU, what his country's priorities were while chairing the PSC.
Burundi inherited the rotating presidency of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) for the month of July in a context still marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. As elections are scheduled in several African countries by the end of the year and terrorist groups take advantage of restrictions adopted in the fight against the pandemic to continue their attacks, the PSC Report asked Joël Nkurabagaya, Ambassador of Burundi to the AU, what his country's priorities were while chairing the PSC.
What are the priorities for Burundi as chair of the PSC for July 2020?
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Institute for Security Studies for the opportunity to contribute to its research work in the field of security by answering your questions. Security research is of paramount importance and plays an important role in the pursuit of lasting solutions that can bring peace and security to our continent and elsewhere in the world.
Thus, the priorities of Burundi during its presidency of the PSC in July 2020 relate to the examination of situations of concern for Africa in order to find African solutions with mutually beneficial support from our partners. This is the case, among others, with elections in Africa. Burundi and most other African countries have recorded a very good performance in terms of free, peaceful, inclusive elections that were transparent and credible.
As you have all observed, elections in Africa, and elsewhere, are often golden opportunities for critics of the regimes in place and their sponsors with hidden agendas to cause unrest in the countries that organise them, with the objective of regime change. To achieve this, all means are unfortunately good, including targeted assassinations, popular uprisings, unconstitutional coups, the instigation of genocides, etc.
From its considerable experience in the matter, Burundi intends to orient the debate so that the PSC can have an in-depth discussion and carry out a critical analysis of the most recent elections in Africa. It can establish guidelines to be followed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Burundi also intends to raise the awareness of members of the PSC and African members (A3) of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the need to appeal to the UNSC to remove countries from its agenda – Africans that have achieved good results in recent years in terms of peace, security and stability.
Burundi, with its fine performance during the elections of 20 May 2020, and many other positive government actions in recent years (such as the voluntary return of refugees in view of the stability of the country, the release of thousands of prisoners, the approval of opposition political parties, etc.), is first among those African countries that deserve to be withdrawn. The reasons given for keeping it on the council's agenda, behind which lie other thinly veiled interests, are no longer valid.
Another priority for Burundi relates to conflict situations such as those in the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Sahel region. We will examine these situations as part of Africa's agenda to ‘Silence the guns to create conducive conditions for Africa’s development’.
Although the political and security situation in the CAR is currently seeing positive developments, characterised by a reduction in violence and the roadmap of the country towards elections scheduled for December 2020, the PSC must continue to ensure that there is no turning back when it comes to the pacification and stabilisation of the country.
Regarding the Sahel region, including the Lake Chad basin, the threat from terrorists, armed groups and criminals remains acute. Our priority is therefore to support the strengthening of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission (MINUSMA) and the G5 Sahel Joint Force by deploying, as soon as possible, an additional force of 3 000 soldiers within the framework of Decision 792 adopted at the 33rd Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly, which took place on 9–10 February 2020.
Finally, the other priorities to which Burundi will pay particular attention during its presidency of the PSC in July 2020 concern in particular:
- Examining the recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the implications for healthcare and humanitarian workers
- Analysing the status of the operationalisation of the African Standby Force in the context of the African response to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Preparing the annual joint consultative meeting between the PSC and the UNSC as part of the strategic partnership between the two councils in the promotion and maintenance of peace, security and stability in Africa and internationally
What lessons can African countries preparing to hold elections in 2020 learn from the recent elections in Burundi, which took place during the COVID-19 pandemic?
The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly poses an unprecedented humanitarian threat. Health, education, economy, transport, tourism: all sectors on which human life depends are affected. In such a context, it is imperative to avoid panicking and adding fuel to the fire by creating other situations that could reinforce the threat and heighten the impact of the pandemic. Moreover, it is advisable to choose the lesser of the two evils. While organising elections in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic poses a risk of the virus spreading, failing to organise them within the time limits set by the constitution poses the potential risk of generating unrest that is even more difficult to manage than the pandemic.
In view of this, the government of Burundi, in agreement with all political actors in the country, chose to organise elections while respecting the measures recommended by the Ministry of Health and the Fight against HIV/Aids, the Africa CDC [Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention] and the WHO [World Health Organization]. As the whole world could see, the elections in Burundi were organised and conducted in a calm, democratic and inclusive atmosphere.
Countries preparing to hold elections in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic could therefore refer to the example of Burundi by first carrying out an assessment of the potential risk of the virus spreading in the country, consulting the constitution on the organisation of elections, and subsequently ensuring that an appropriate decision is taken involving all the political actors concerned.
What are the PSC's priorities for the 2020 annual joint consultative meeting with the UNSC?
The annual joint consultation meetings between the PSC and the UNSC were difficult to institutionalise, but this was done at the request of the PSC to maintain the strategic relationship that has developed between the two bodies since 2007. Therefore, the first priority of the PSC is to ensure that this consultative meeting takes place as planned in 2020 in order to safeguard this relationship and to discuss strategic issues in the field of security on which the two councils can collaborate. This is with a view to finding solutions that benefit Africa and the whole world.
The second priority of the PSC for this consultative meeting will be to promote peace and security on the African continent with the UNSC. In this regard, the PSC will give the UNSC an update on the security situation in Africa and will advocate for the latter's involvement alongside the AU to resolve situations that deserve collaboration.
Finally, another priority will probably be to find solutions to the challenges observed over the years at the organisational level and the establishment of a mechanism for monitoring joint commitments.
How can African members of the UNSC support the work of the PSC?
The African members of the UNSC (the A3) are the eyes and ears of Africa in general, and of the PSC in particular, on this council. They represent Africa's interests and work to promote its priorities for peace and security.
African members of the UNSC are therefore very important to Africa and to the work of the PSC. Thus, since 2013 the PSC has been organising a high-level seminar with the A3 to, among other things, help new African members elected to the UNSC to address issues of peace and security on the continent. In addition, discussions are continuing between the PSC and A3 to find other collaborative mechanisms to better support the work of the PSC and effectively defend Africa's interests within the UNSC.
An exchange with the A3 is also planned during July 2020 to coordinate the actions carried out in the interest of our continent. The objective of these consultations is to coordinate and channel Africa's common positions on peace and security into the decision-making of the UNSC.
How can the AU support Somalia in the run-up to the 2020–2021 elections?
Preparations for the elections in Somalia are taking place in a very difficult context marked by great uncertainty as to the exact dates of the polls. Indeed, security remains a major concern despite significant improvements on the ground thanks to the commendable work of AMISOM [AU Mission in Somalia] and the Somali government supported by partner organisations and countries. Political dialogue between the federal government and the federated states has not yet broken the deadlock, and the country's economy continues to grapple with the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic.
UNSC Resolution 2520 extended AMISOM's mandate for only nine months, that is to say until February 2021, while the mission's main objective is to ensure the security of the elections which, as already indicated, may be held in 2021 or beyond. The AU must therefore concentrate its efforts on finding solutions to the challenges I have just mentioned.
This can be done by providing support to the ongoing political dialogue between the federal government and the federated states, by strengthening the intervention of the Africa CDC to stabilise the health situation and decrease the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on other key sectors of the country, and by improving collaboration with partner organisations in order to maintain AMISOM in Somalia as needed beyond the horizon 2021.
What should the AU's priority be in the face of the spread of violent extremism in the Sahel region?
Violent extremism is an aspect of terrorism that must be combatted with all possible means. The AU, in collaboration with ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States] and the G5 Sahel, is working to finalise preparations for the deployment of a force of 3 000 troops in the Sahel region to support the G5 Sahel and MINUSMA as part of the implementation of Decision 792 adopted at the 33rd Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly.
The AU must also continue to provide the necessary support to regional governments and mobilise support from the international community. This has to be done because terrorism has no borders: to fight it effectively, we must form a united front in a spirit of respect and mutual aid.
The political component must also benefit from the support of the AU and its partners, especially in Mali, so that all political actors can take ownership of the peace and reconciliation agreement already signed and accelerate its implementation.
Photo: Embassy of the Republic of Burundi in Addis Ababa
