EAC FACES STARK CHOICES AS DONORS WANT TO SEE BURUNDI EXCLUDED FROM FUNDED PROGRAMMES
(Posted 23rd August 2015)
Following the clandestine swearing in of Burundi’s regime leader Nkurunziza for an illegal third term in office have development partners and donors began to react. Confirmation was received from sources in Arusha close to the East African Community Secretariat that they received communications already that Burundi must be excluded as a beneficiary and participant in funded programmes or else funds would very likely be withdrawn. This could deal a heavy blow to a range of activities financed by in particular EU countries, affecting anything from education over health to even tourism.
While Burundi’s tourism sector, fledgling as it was, has gone into a comatic state following the introduction of Visa in Advance rules, which reportedly turned visitor arrivals into a mere trickle, will the fallout for Burundi on many other economic activities be more devastating.
Two informants have confirmed that exports from Burundi to the EU, sourced either entirely from that country or any other exports with Burundian input, could be facing an uphill battle as the Europeans and the North American countries are reportedly preparing a package of sanctions against Burundi’s leadership, including a suspension from the US’ African Growth and Opportunities Act, in short known as AGOA.
A senior Ugandan tourism stakeholder last evening voiced concern to when saying: ‘The EU has supported tourism in East Africa on national and even at EAC level. If they insist that Burundi must be excluded as a participant and beneficiary this will spoil the regional approach we have been fostering and promoting. It could deal this concept a serious blow and setback’.
The rest of the EAC, namely Tanzania which holds the current presidency, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, will now have to assess the impact such measures could have on the EAC’s operation in financial terms and find ways and means to deal with the situation, after singularly failing to prevent the Burundian regime leader from making a power grab for a third term. Since then has violence swept across East Africa’s smallest economy, driven tens of thousands into exile and now has the omission to firmly dealing with Nkurunziza caught up with the rest of the EAC. Suggestions from individuals close to the EAC have in fact already expressed their misgivings that, should Burundi take on the rotating presidency of the EAC while Nkurunziza was still in power, diplomatic contacts and exchanges between the EAC and key Western countries could be suspended altogether. This, while aimed to isolate Burundi and the regime, could nevertheless have a major impact on the EAC’s standing as a regional partner platform. Watch this space for future developments when more details become available which EU and Western nations financed programmes in particular could be the most affected.
