Ethnic regimes were largely ignored in the mainstream media of the global North until the early 1990s, even when troubling events, such as genocide in Burundi, were unfolding. It was only with the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s and the Rwanda genocide (1994) that it became more than apparent that another wave of ethnic cleansing and ethno-nationalist regimes were unfolding.
Approximately a quarter of a million Burundians have fled the country and live in refugee camps in neighboring Tanzania, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
The past few years have seen presidential term limits ended from coast to coast. In Gabon, the end of term limits this year effectively allowed President Ali Bongo Ondimba to rule for life.
He has gradually regained his strength and continues to campaign from exile in Belgium for the rights of all Burundians.
These jarring witness testimonies counter President Nkurunziza’s recent declaration that “Burundi is at peace.”
Missing Burundi Teens Highlight Media Blind Spot towards the Black Community
A chorus of opposition to Pierre Nkurunziza is mounting in the international community, making the likelihood of an orchestrated removal of the embattled Burundi seem a distinct possibility. Recently, Kenya Airways cancelled all service to Bujumburu International Airport citing a “security incident.” The U.S. ordered all non-emergency personnel to leave violence-torn Burundi as soon as possible. The United Nations moved to pull Burundi back from the brink of “possible genocide,” adopting a French-drafted resolution that called for urgent talks and laid the groundwork for peacekeepers to be sent to stop the killings. The resolution, unanimously adopted by the Security Council,