FBIS3-1357 "drafr059_a_94001"
FBIS-AFR-94-059 Document Type:Daily Report 25 Mar 1994
CENTRAL AFRICA Burundi

`Calm' Returns to Suburbs; Officials Note Events

Assembly Vice President Comments

PM2503141994 Paris Radio France International in French 1230 GMT 25 Mar 94 PM2503141994 Paris Radio France International Language: French Article Type:BFN [Text] Calm seems to have returned to the northern suburbs of Bujumbura this morning. According to AFP, there was no shooting last night or early this morning. The death toll for the recent clashes in Burundi has now been revised downwards, but the clashes between soldiers and civilians are nevertheless said to have claimed several dozen lives. Doctors Without Borders Belgium has expressed its concern about the fate of the wounded. Most of them are said to be too afraid to leave their shelters to seek medical help. Christian Sendegeya, vice president of the Burundi National Assembly, is currently visiting Paris. He has confirmed that the head of state remains quite free to move around as he wishes, and he denied that there was any coup attempt, as had been claimed. This latest flare-up nevertheless started when soldiers tried to disarm Hutu civilians in Bujumbura. Murielle Pomponne began by asking Christian Sendegeya if he felt that this process of disarmament should continue: [Begin recording] [Sendegeya] I quite agree that this disarmament should continue, but we have to ask ourselves who should be disarming whom. Is the Army to be involved in disarmament? A large proportion of the Army was actively or passively involved in the assassination of President Ndadaye. Are we now to send out that same Army to disarm other people? This does not make any sense. The solution I believe is, as we have always asked, for the international community to send a neutral force to Burundi. This force could perhaps be entrusted with this mission of disarmament. [Pomponne] The OAU was set to send a number of men. Where does this plan stand now? [Sendegeya] The OAU was first going to send some 180 soldiers. The Army together with some opposition parties complained about this. Now we are talking about some 50 officers who are expected to come and be scattered across the various military camps in the country in order to monitor the behavior of the Army. I feel, however, that this is not what is needed. We need a good team of soldiers who could prevent the current Army from doing any harm, who could begin the whole process of disarmament, and then could help us to set up a really national army, made up of soldiers from all regions. [end recording] That was Christian Sendegeya, vice president of the Burundi National Assembly. In a communique, the European Union yesterday condemned the violence in Burundi. According to the Twelve, I quote, this violence has been fanned by extremist elements in the authorities, the opposition, and the Army.