TheNewsGuru

Tag: Burundi

  • AFCON 2019: Madagascar on verge of last 16 after beating Burundi

    AFCON 2019: Madagascar on verge of last 16 after beating Burundi

    Madagascar are on the verge of making the last 16 in their first Africa Cup of Nations after Marco Ilaimaharitra scored to earn a 1-0 win over Burundi in Alexandria Thursday.

    Burundi’s last 16 dream has been derailed and will need to win their last game of the group against Guinea to have a meaningful chance as one of the best four number three teams.

    Burundi had a game of two halves, performing brilliantly in the second period after a tough first half.

    The Swallows would have been relieved to hear the half time whistle as they were forced to play on the back foot with Madagascar raiding their goalmouth like enraged bees.

    Carolus Andriamanitsoro forced Burundi keeper Jonathan Nahimana to a good save after 13 minutes, the keeper smoother behind a well struck freekick for a corner.

    Five minutes later, Nahimana had to make a brilliant save from close range to keep out Andriamanitsoro again after the forward had picked up the ball at the edge of the six yard box when the keeper punched a cross from the right to his path.

    In the 25th minute, the pacy winger was at it again, this time breaking into the box off a counter, but Fredrick Nsabiyumva tracked back brilliantly for Burundi to shield away the striker with calls for a penalty falling in deaf ears.

    Burundi’s only dangerous chance of the first half came in the 27th minute when Cedric Amissi broke into the box, but Madagascar defender Jerome Mombris made a decisive block to deny him an eye at goal.

    Off a counter, Madagascar should have been ahead two minutes to the break when skipper Faneva Andriatsima raced into the box, but once again, Omar Ng’ando raced back brilliantly to tackle the ball away from his path.

     

  • Burundi made us suffer – Coach Gernot Rohr

    Burundi made us suffer – Coach Gernot Rohr

    Though the Super Eagles won their opening match in the Africa Cup of Nations clash with Burundi, coach Gernot Rohr disclosed that Burundi made his team suffer before they scored the lone goal.
    He described Burundi as a very difficult opponent for Nigeria.

    It took the three-time African champions 77 minutes to break the deadlock at the Alexandria Stadium thanks to a cool finish from Odion Ighalo.

    The goal separated the Super Eagles from the Swallows, who were playing their first game at the Afcon finals.

    At the end of the game, the 65-year-old coach said that Burundi made his team ‘suffer’ before scoring the only goal in the match.

    “It was a very difficult match for us because this team of Burundi is very organised. Olivier – the coach, I know him very well and he has a lot of experience,” Rohr said after the game.

    “They also qualified from a tough group that has Gabon, Mali and they come through. We saw the games, they were unbeaten in the qualifiers.

    “It was not easy, especially very difficult to score the first goal. If the first goal is not coming quickly, you suffer and you have to work hard to score and to win the matches.

    The victory earned the Super Eagles massive praise from the fans, but Rohr is looking forward to another tough match when they face off against Guinea on Wednesday.

    “The Nigerian supporters are happy that we won the match, and it’s good to win the first match, it’s never easy,” he continued.

    “The second match will also be difficult against a wonderful team of Guinea, and the third one, Madagascar, is nothing to lose. We will try to give our best and I think it’s good to start slowly and we come higher and higher.”

    The win moved Nigeria to the summit of Group B with three points after their opening game.

  • BREAKING: [AFCON 2019] Nigeria defeats Burundi 1-0

    BREAKING: [AFCON 2019] Nigeria defeats Burundi 1-0

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria on Saturday evening defeated the Swallows in Battle of Burundi at their opening game in the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Egypt.

    Idion Ighalo netted the lone goal of the match for the Super Eagles in the 77th minute. Video: Ighalo’s stunning goal

  • Burundi bans BBC, removes radio from airwaves

    Burundi has banned the BBC from the country and taken its radio off the airwaves, after what the government said was the broadcaster’s “false’’ reporting on secret torture centres.

    “The licence to operate the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Radio Station is withdrawn,’’ Nestor Bankumukunzi, the head of the National Communication Council, said in a statement on Friday.

    “It is strictly forbidden for any Burundian or foreign journalist located in the national territory of Burundi to directly or indirectly provide information that can be broadcasted by BBC Radio,’’ he added.

    The government said the decision was taken in light of an investigation published by the BBC in December, which alleged Burundi’s security services were running secret torture and detention sites to silence dissent.

    Bankumukunzi said the documentary had violated the law governing the press in the country.

    Voice of America is already temporarily banned in Burundi, which rights groups accused of having a repressive government under President Pierre Nkurunziza.

    Burundi has been seized by civil unrest since 2015, when Nkurunziza announced his decision to seek a third term in office despite a two-term limit.

    His subsequent election victory unleashed a crisis that led to hundreds of people being killed.

    In 2018 changes to the constitution were approved that allowed him to potentially remain in power until 2034; he has, however, said he’ll step down in 2020.

    In 2018, the government also ordered the UN human rights office to close its bureau in the country, after it published negative reports on the situation in the country.

  • U.S. denounces Burundi political violence ahead of referendum to amend constitution

    U.S. denounces Burundi political violence ahead of referendum to amend constitution

    The U.S. State Department has denounced recent political violence in Burundi ahead of the country’s May 17 referendum to amend its constitution and expressed concerns that the vote to extend its president’s term in office could hurt its democratic institutions.

    “We denounce the numerous instances of violence, intimidation, and harassment committed against perceived
    opponents of the referendum,” it said in a statement.

    “We call on the government to respect Burundi’s international legal obligations regarding the rights to
    freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association.”

    Burundi courts on Monday sentenced an official in the country’s ruling party to three years in jail for
    pushing to have opponents of the referendum thrown into a lake.

    Avvording to the UN, nearly 430,000 people, including opposition politicians, have fled the East African
    nation of 10.5 million people since President Pierre Nkurunziza won a third term in a 2015 election that
    led to violent clashes.

    NAN reports that according to a presidential decree signed on Sunday March 18 by Nkurunziza, the president set May 17 as the referendum date for a controversial constitutional reform.

    The election could allow President Nkurunziza, 54, who has been in office since 2005, to remain in power until 2034.

    The decree specifies that the reform will be adopted if the proportion of favorable votes is 50% plus one vote, and that parties or individuals wishing to participate in the campaign for or against this reform must register with the Independent National Electoral Commission ( CENI) between March 23 and April 6.

    Official campaign will only begin two weeks before the referendum, and no one is yet allowed to openly defend yes or no.

    But the opposition denounces a “double standard, blatant measures”, saying that the ministers and leaders of the ruling party, the National Council for the Defence of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD–FDD), do not hesitate to campaign for yes for several months.

    At the same time, dozens of opposition activists were arrested and tried for promoting no.

    The opposition also denounced forced enrollment of voters to face, according to it, “the lack of enthusiasm” of the population for this referendum.

    The CENI announced on Feb. 20 that more than five million Burundians had registered on the electoral lists for the referendum and the general elections of 2020.

    State Asset: Maku blasts Al-Makura, says, ‘You will end up selling Government House one day’

     

  • UN appoints Nigeria’s Obiakor special investigator for Burundians’ killings

    The UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, has appointed retired Lt.-Gen. Chikadibia Obiakor of Nigeria to lead a special investigation into the killing of some Burundian refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

    Mr Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General in New York announced this in a statement issued in New York.

    No fewer than 35 Burundian refugees were killed and more than 100 others wounded by security forces in eastern DRC Sept. 15, 2017 at Kamanyola, South Kivu.

    The special investigation will look into the challenges facing the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) in discharging its mandate to protect civilians and provide recommendations on improving the performance of its troops.

    Obiakor has had a long and distinguished career in the Nigerian Army and was the Force Commander of the UN Mission in Liberia from 2006 to 2008.

    He also served as Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations at UN Headquarters in New York from 2008 to 2010.

    The refugees were killed in Kamanyola area in South Kivu province’s Walungu territory after they allegedly rioted and the Congolese army made an attempt to control the situation.

    Reports said no fewer than 18 Burundian refugees were killed on the spot and the others died the following day from the wounds they sustained.

    The refugees were protesting against the decision of DRC officials to extradite two other refugees arrested for allegedly making weapons.

    There are over 400,000 Burundian refugees in DRC who fled after violence erupted in their country in April 2015 when incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza refused to leave power after serving two terms and stood in elections for a third term.

    The opposition in Burundi had gone on a rampage, attacking police and army while also killing supporters of Nkurunziza.

    Thousands of Burundian refugees had fled to neighbouring countries, including DRC, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda.

    Out of 40,000 Burundian asylum-seekers, 28,000 who fled hostilities in their country were identified by the DRC’s National Commission for Refugees in Kamanyola.

     

  • JUST IN: Burundi quits ICC over alleged bias against African countries

    …becomes first country to do so

    Burundi has become the first country to pull out of the International Criminal Court, ICC, a spokesman for the court in the Hague told dpa on Friday.

    The country had launched the process of leaving the court in 2016, with the government saying the ICC was biased against African nations.

    Gambia and South Africa had announced their withdrawal in 2016, but changed their minds, leaving Burundi as the only country to officially leave.

    There are now 123 member states.

    Inspite of the withdrawal, the court will continue a preliminary investigation into possible war crimes in Burundi.

    The probe began in April 2016 and was “independent, impartial and objective,” the court spokesman added.

    NAN reports that Amnesty International’s Head of International Justice Matt Cannock said: “the Burundian government has made a cynical attempt to evade justice by taking the unprecedented step of withdrawing from the ICC.

    “Perpetrators, including members of the security forces, cannot so easily shirk their alleged responsibility for crimes under international law committed since 2015”.

     

    dpa/NAN

  • Niyonkuru, Burundi’s Minister of Water and Environment assassinated

    Niyonkuru, Burundi’s Minister of Water and Environment assassinated

     

    Burundi’s minister of water and environment, Mr Emmanuel Niyonkuru has been assassinated, continuing the cycle of violence in the tiny African country.

    The country’s police confirmed the death of the 54 year-old cabinet member of the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza. He was appointed minister after a long time in banking in August 2015.

    At least 500 people have been killed and 300,000 have fled the country since unrest began in April 2015.

    Niyonkuru was shot dead in the capital Bujumbura early on Sunday, police said, the first assassination of its kind since the country was plunged into political turmoil.

    He was killed shortly after midnight, according to a tweet sent by police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye.

    The murder, the first of a serving government minister since Burundi sank into turmoil over President Pierre Nkurunziza’s controversial bid for a third term , came after months of relative calm.

    “Minister of water and environment killed by a criminal with a gun on his way home to Rohero, around 00:45,” Nkurikiye wrote four hours after the incident.

    He added that a woman had been arrested following the “assassination”.

    Also on Twitter, Nkurunziza offered his condolences “to the family and all Burundians” vowing the crime would be punished.

    Niyonkuru was born on 20 July 1962 in Gashingwa in the province of Muramvya. He attended the University of Burundi from 1987 to 1991 in the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences.

    He was elected Senator of the electoral district of Muramvya for the 2015-2020 term.

    From 2 January 1992 to 24 August 2015, Niyonkuru was deputy director of the Bank of the Republic of Burundi (BRB).

    Until his appointment as minister, he was a member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of the Republic of Burundi and a member of the National Committee for Development and Implementation of the Development Plan. Financial Market in Burundi.