Burundi’s recent elections and the leadership change in the country have created new opportunities to re-engage with the government.
While it is too soon to evaluate how President Evariste Ndayishimiye’s government is going to perform, there are some key issues that need to be addressed in order to help the country of out of the extended political crisis. Primary among these is addressing the repressive political environment, including the human rights situation, and restoring basic rights and freedoms in the country.
This seminar analyses the current situation, assesses priorities for Burundi’s future and proposes new ways for African and international actors to engage to help Burundi out of the current crisis.
Panellists:
Marie-Louise Baricako is the Chairperson of the Women and Girls Movement for Peace and Security in Burundi. She is also a member of the Steering Committee and Founding Member of FEMWISE Africa (AU Women Mediators Network), a member of the African Women Leaders Network (AWLN) and has been Chair of the Board of the International Leadership Foundation (ILF) Burundi since March 2013. She has served on many boards and was a member of the United Nations Secretary General High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations (2014 – 2015)
Thijs Van Laer is a researcher with the Burundi Human Rights Initiative (BHRI), an independent human rights project that aims to document the evolving human rights situation in Burundi. Prior to joining the BHRI, he worked for several years with other international NGOs as a researcher and advocate on human rights and conflict in the Great Lakes region.
Moderator:
Stephanie Wolters is a Senior Research Fellow at SAIIA. Stephanie has been working in the Great Lakes region for over 20 years. Her research focuses on political and conflict dynamics in the Great Lakes region, foreign policy within the Great Lakes and Southern Africa, and elites and political change. She is also the Research and Editorial director of Okapi Consulting, an international organisation that runs peacebuilding media projects in conflict zones.