The next few months is a critical time for Burundi as the country prepares for elections in May and June. Burundi is a relatively young democracy and is still in the process of recovering from years of civil war and ethnic violence. Elections of any kind, let alone a controversial one, can be a nerve-racking time for a country such as this.
The current president has already served two terms, the maximum allowed under the current constitution. But he has stated his intention to run for a third term ( justified by a possible constitutional loophole), and it is this controversy that is creating an atmosphere of pending instability in the country.(You can read more about the controversial third term on the BBC: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30885069 )
We are trusting and praying for peace in Burundi, as it is an essential criteria for being able to reverse the cycle of poverty in the nation, and of course will have a huge influence on how we can proceed with the Redeeming the Land project.
It is a sad truth that often hunger and war go hand in hand. I’ve heard a Burundian proverb that says,” Between Peace and War comes the Banana” – meaning that people who are hungry are unhappy and desperate and therefore are more likely to rise up against one another. As the hungriest nation in the world, it wouldn’t require much to tip the scales back into violence once more, although so far, thank God, all demonstrations and rallies have been peaceful.
However even without violence, uncertainty is enough in itself to have far reaching effects on Burundian economic and social development. As I write this, some international agencies are preparing t withdraw their workers before May, not willing to risk the ‘what if…’ of staying. Some international aid agencies and funding bodies, a mainstay of Burundi’s development, are suspending the allocation of funds until early 2016, pending the outcome of the elections and a more settled situation. It is understandable in a business sense – not wanting to pour money into a country that could potentially fracture in a few months. But without this funding many excellent development programmes, which are still heavily dependent on International Investment, will need to reduce their scale of operation or even simply cease to exist. For many local NGOs, this year will be a very uncertain one.
In the last few months, I’ve been really blessed to see my church here in Burundi, among many others, rise up in prayer for their nation. Please join your voice to theirs to declare God’s Kingdom come in this place and claim peace for Burundi. We believe that God has a plan to destroy poverty in Burundi and we trust that neither war nor political unrest is part of that plan. So we stand together and fight the fight of faith for His Kingdom to flourish.
