The Mudug factor how important will its involvement be? Will they openly rebel and refuse the governments orders and side with the 'SSC' enterprise for a win-win situation 'a free SOOL and secured border agenda' that will benefit the beleaguered regions of Sool, Ein, Sanaag and Mudug conclusively? Lets see and wait. This is a battle for hearts and minds and it has already started. Is President Faroole a sitting and lame duck a spineless leader? Or a sane person who puts politics before military assaults? The political hearts and minds game has already started.

Condolences were sent to the bereaved families of Buhodle district in Ein region. The president expressed regrets over the provocation made by the perpetrators of the heinous crimes. "We have contacted the Ethiopian government through their Consular General in Puntland," President Abdirahman Mahamad Mahamud said."And asked them to return the property and vehicles belonging to the residents of Buhodle district."

Faroole what will he do? Will he allow the ssc enterprise to take off thus consolidating his power? Let's see and wait:

Someone told me not so a while ago that secessionists are really dumb. I know now what that person meant by it. This is an inner Puntland issue. What is at stake here is the future of Puntland and who will have the biggest say. If Faroole allows this what in my eyes is illegal coup to take place in front of his nose than he has consolidated his power base. No wonder his boys see ghosts and phantoms these days. Their accusations of Abdullahi Yusuf's involvement is proof to that and also their constant reminder of how certain individuals are after their father's seat and how they want to force him out. By popular demand or even a coup. The former more likely than the other because if they can get public sentiments and portray him as a sitting duck in office than they have achieved their goal. Either way it is not in the beneficiary of the secessionists whatever outcome of this power struggle between the two camps. Certain individuals in politicians from Mudug and other parts are involved. I see it as a wrong because to politically undermine him is not what benefits the state right now. However Politicians play this sort of games in order for them to come on top and make it hard for their adversaries. Thus Faroole is a Gordon Brown figure today very intimidating, forceful a bit aggressive but his power base is now consolidated if he allows a parallel government or even force to compete with him. Jabhado never worked and this is no different. They were wrong back then and are so now. So what will be the likely outcome of this? Either way Faroole will fight this as it is illegal by involving Puntland stakeholders who will mediate and thus bring out some polticial statement about him being responsible for the safeguarding of the State's boundries and forcefully ejecting the horgalo and mindidiin the collaborators of the secessionists. Faroole is by far the best President we have had in a long succession of Presidents and also the most competent. His only downfall that will cost him dear is not assuring public sentiment and thus protecting the Puntland borders from any enemy that might want to transgress the borders of the State. If this is not done and Garaad Jaamac cannot be made sense out and refuses any compromise than the other option is to first ask the TFG to reverse any legitimacy this group might be bestowed by the TFG which will of course come at a political price for Puntland cut of the ties and what they claim and bring in the Ethiopians to a crashing defeat of the 'SSC' group or enterprise. I hope it will not have to come to this but let's see inshallaah. Sakhar.

The people of Buuhoodle have shown that they're staunch supporters of Puntland and indeed they will not fall for this fallacy. It's the same tactic used by Garaad Jaamac Garaad Cali during the Laascaanood takeover whereby the whole city was handed to the secessionists on a silver plate then. But this time around it won't work because the people of Buuhoodle are wise and know how this individual works and their schemes will end in shambles and thus fall into deaf ears. Buuhoodle the pride and heart of Puntland and the true patriots of Puntland. Forget it Garaad Jaamac and the other Garaad Jaamac Garaad Ismaciil, your schemes won't work here in Buuhoodle, Cayn Region of Puntland.

Faroole also sends a good gesture and approval to the locals of Buuhoodle, their traditional leaders and politicians for exposing the two Garaado and the new enterprise of 'SSC'.

President Farole's press briefing after his arrival where he lashes out on the SSC militias headed by the two Garaad Jaamac's and former Puntland politicians and others. Puntland elite's determined to express their ill-will towards this new enterprise. Power contest/struggle in the making as it seems.

Picture's source: Horseedmedia.net

Madaxweynaha Puntland Oo Gaaray Magaalada Garoowe. June 7, 2010 Madaxweynaha Dowladda Puntland Dr.Cabdiraxmaan Sheikh Maxamed Maxamuud ayaa galabta soo gaaray magaalada Garoowe ee caasimada Puntland,ka dib markii uu kasoo ambabaxay magaalada Jabuuti isaga iyo wefdi uu hogaaminaayo. Wefdiga Madaxweynaha ayaa garoonka Konacco kusoo dhoweeyey Madaxweyne Kuxigeenka Jenraal Cabdisamad Cali Shire,Guddoomiyaha Baarlamaanka Cabdirashid Maxamed Xirsi iyo xubno ka socday Xukuumada iyo Baarlamaanka. Madaxweyne kuxigeenka ayaa markii loo gelbiyey xarunta madaxtooyad wefdiga Madaxweynaha ugu horeyn halkaa ka hadlay,wuxuuna uga warbixiyey xaaladdihi ugu dambeeyey ee degaanada Puntland. Wuxuu soo hadal qaaday howlgal ay Ciidanka Puntland kusoo furteen kooxo Burcadbadeed ah oo afduubtay Markab kusoo jeeday dekadda Bosaaso ayadoo la qabtay raggii afduubtay oo ay xireen Ciidanka.. Madaxweynaha Puntland ayaa isna halkaas ka hadlay,wuxuuna sheegay inuu ku faraxsanyahay intii ay dalka ka maqnaayeen Ciidamada Puntland howlihii ay ka qabteen dalka. Wuxuu ka warbixiyey safarkii dibada uu ku tegay iyo shirkii ka dhacay magaalada Istanbul ee dalka Turkiga oo ay ka qaybgaleen isagoo sheegay in halka khudbadii guud uu ka jeediyey Madaxweyne Sheikh Shariif tii qayb ahaan ay ka jeedisay Dowladda Puntland oo uu jeediyey Wasiirka Maaliyada. Sidoo kale wuxuu sheegay in halkaa ay wax badan uga hadleen isla markaana ay sheegeen baahi kasta oo ka jirta degaanada Puntland,wuxuuna xusay in ganacsatada Puntland uu u sheegay in la dhimay qiimaha ganacsiga Xoolaha geela iyo ariga. Dr.Faroole ayaa ka hadlay dagaaladii dhowaan ka dhacay degmada Buuhoodle ee xarunta gobolka Ceyn oo u dhaxeeyey Ciidamada Itoobiya iyo dadka degaanka,wuxuuna sheegay in ay aad uga xunyihin isla markaana Dowladda ay raali ka ahayn. Madaxweynaha ayaa intaa ku daray in aysan raali ka noqonayan waxaa uu ugu yeeray Jabhad sheegata in ay soo xoreynayso magaalada Laascaanood. ”..Cida hada sheegata in ay yihin Jabhadda xoraynaysa dalkeeda ay tahay mid ay wataan dad siyaasiyin ka ahaan jireyn Dowladda Soomaaliya iyo meelo kale ayna doonayaan dan kale iyo waxaa aan u soconaynay hadii cid soo celinaysa Laascaanood ay jirto ay Dowladda soo celinayso sidii ay doonto haku soo celisee..”,ayuu yiri. Si kastaba Madaxweynaha ayaa in mudo ah ku maqnaa dalka dibadiisa,waxaana socdaalkiisa ku weheliyey Wasiirka Maaliyada iyo xubno kale. Maxamed Siciid Yuusuf Wakiilka Horseed Media Garoowe,Puntland

Oh Lord of ours we pray in our humble presence to you for a smooth mugging a great mugging of ours indeed to the unsuspecting off the dimwit secessionists. May our prayer become true oh Lord of ours, humba humba, indeed.

^lool. Amin to that as well.

Folks, let's all pray for a safe election and a smooth coronation thereafter, indeed.

Nice Development.

^lool, Bandar Ziyaada is Qaw. It's like asking if Bender Qassim is next to Bosaso. Bandar Ziyaada - another name for Qaw.

Ethiopian Consulate Marks Anniversary , Celebrates EPRDF Victory in Puntland. The Ethiopian Consulate celebrated the 4th anniversary of the federal revolution (FEDRE) in Ethiopia and the recent 4th victory of the EPRDF party in the country elections held in Ethiopia. The ceremony was officially opened by the Vice-president of Puntland, H.E Brig. Gen. Abdisamad Ali Shire, in a function held at the conference hall of the Ministry of Women Development and Family Affairs in Garowe. The ceremony was attended by officials from the Ethiopian Consulate led by the Consular General Hon. Asmalash Wolde Mehret leading a delegation of attaches from the Ethiopian Consulate in Puntland. A Puntland delegation led by his Excellency the Vice-President cum Acting President, Brig. Gen. Abdisamad Ali Shire attended the ceremony in response to an official invitation from the Ethiopian Consulate. The delegation comprised of high ranking Puntland government officials including Ministers, MPs, Elders, and Officials from departments of the Judiciary, Tribal Chiefs, and Members of the Security Command, Sports Officials from Nugal Region and other invited Guests. The Consular General who spoke at the ceremony appreciated the prestigious and warm response to the invitation demonstrated by the Leaders and Guests who attended the ceremony organized by the Consulate of The Federal Republic of Ethiopia. The Consular general of the Ethiopian consulate said; �Today is 29th May which we popularly refer to as �Gimbot 20� , It is the date when we overthrew the dictatorial Dergi Regime which was infamous for the oppression of the people of Ethiopia. Today we have a democratic government which has strong cooperation with its neighbors and the international community. We cooperate with the government of Puntland in many ways including economic, commerce and security. We are neighbors with Puntland and share a brotherly relationship which is clearly demonstrated in the similarity of our physical appearances. I convey to you a message of glad tidings from my country which calls upon us to celebrate in unison and harmony.�� Speaking at the ceremony, tribal Chief Khaliif Ow Ali spoke on the harmonic relationship shared by Ethiopia and Somalia. The chief added that the hatchets of the past had been buried and transition had been achieved from the previous hostilities. The chief pointed out the proximity of the two nations and the fact that they were neighboring countries. He also described the similarities in the appearance and physique of the inhabitants of the two nations. He expounded on the cultural and traditional similarities shared by the two nations calling upon authorities to strengthen security and peace using the common connectors shared by the people. The Minister for Planning and International Co-operation H.E Dr. Daud Omar stressed the importance of the Consulate to the people of Puntland. He reminded participants of the travel related problems encountered by the people of Puntland seeking medical care and other services from neighboring countries in the past. He highlighted the ease of access and facilitation of immigration processes offered to the people of Puntland since the inauguration of the Ethiopian Consulate. He requested the Consulate to strive to fulfill its obligations so as to avoid non-functionality and help the people of Puntland. This drew a deafening round of applause for the soft-spoken Minister from the participants. He then welcomed the Vice-president of Puntland State to come and address the people. The Vice-President in the final speech said as a member of the Leadership in Puntland, he was ready to work and co-operate with the Consulate of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. On behalf of the People of Puntland, he welcomed them and pledged full cooperation. H.E the Vice-president of Puntland State, Brig. Gen. Abdisamad Ali Shire congratulated H.E Atto. Meles Zenawi and the EPRDF party for their recent victory in the 4th democratic elections held in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The ceremony ended on a happy note when members of the Ethiopian Consulate intermingled with invited guests to share refreshments, confectionaries and pleasantries in a moment characterized by absolute merriment. In the final leg of the ceremony, the Ethiopian Consular General led the delegation from the Puntland government on an official tour of the Consulate's premises in Garowe, the administrative capital of Puntland State, Somalia.

M/kuxigeenka Puntland oo Maanta Xariga ka Jaray Safaarad ay ku Yeelaneyso Dowlada Ethopia Puntland. Musaasabadaan xariga looga jarayo safaarada ayaa waxaa ka soo qayb galay masuuliyiin ka tirsan dowlada Puntland gaar ahaan madaxwayne kuxgeenka Puntland Gen.Cabdisamad Cali Shire xubno ka tirsan mudanayaasha baarlamaanka,Odayaal dhaqmeedyo, wasiiro ,xunbo ka socday dowlada Ethopia iyo qaybaha kala gadisan ee bulshada rayidka waa markii ugu horaysay ee dowlada Ethopia ay safaarad ka furato deegaanada Puntland waxaa maanta xarunta wasaaradda haweenka iyo arimaha qoyska dowlada puntland lagu qabtay xaflada balaaran oo xariga looga jarayo safaarada cusub ee Ephopia ay ku yeelaneyso deegaada puntland gaar ahaan caasimada Puntland ee Garoowe. Mr Asmalaash oo ah madax qunsiliyada u fadhiya Ethopia dalka Soomaliya, ayaa halkaas ka oo jeediyey warbixin iyo hambalyo uu uga wado Dowlada Ethopia Puntland madaxdeeda sare, waxaana uu sheegay in safaaradaani ay tahay tii ugu horaysay ee laga furo deegaada Puntland oo ay leedahay Ethopia taas oo wax wayn ka qaban doonta xiriirka labada dal ka dhexeeya gaar ahaan xiriirka dibada iyo ganacsigaba Sidoo kale waxaa uu sheegay mr asmalaash in munaasabadaan lagu xusayo doorashadii afraad ee ay ku guulaysteen xisbiga talada haya ee RDPF taas oo si dimuquraadiyada uga dhacday dalka Ethopia, isagoo sheegay in ay u hambalynayaan guulaha laga gaaray doorashada dalka itoobia ka dhacday. Wasiirka qorshaynta iyo iskaashiga Caalamiga Daa'uud Maxamed Cumar ayaa makarafoonka ku soo dhaweeyey Madaxwayne kuxgeenka ahna sii hayaa xilka madaxwaynaha Puntland Gen. Cabdisamad Cali Shire ayaa si rasmiya xariga uga jaray munaasibadaan lagu furayo safaarada Ethopia ay ku yeelaneyso deegaanada Puntland gaar ahaan Caasimada Garoowe waxaana uu M/kuxigeenka intaas ku daray in madaxda dalka Ethopia ay uga yimaadeen fariimo isugu jira hambalyo iyo salaamo ayna taas mid le'eg ay u dirayaan. dhanka kale waxaa uu M/kuxigeenku sheegay in safaaradaani ay wax wayn ka qaban doonto xiriirkii isku socodka safarada dalka Ethopia iyo Puntland oo ah laba dal oo xiriir wanaagsan ka dhexeeyo taas oo ahmiyad u leh shacabka reer Puntland oo horay ugu dhibtoon jiray iney si fudud u galaan dalka Ethopia. M/kuxieenka Puntland ayaa sidoo kale hambalyo u diray shacabka reer Ethiopia gaar ahaan xisbiga talada ku guuleystay oo si dumuqraadiyada uga hir galiyey Ethiopia doorasho xor ah, taas hogaamin doono Meles Sanawi oo ah nin wax wayn kala socda xaalada Soomaliya. Ugu dambayntii M/kuxigeenka ayaa kormeer ku tagay xarunta safaarada cusub ee xariga laga jaray isaga oo ay si wayn ugu soo dhaweeyeen xubno ka tirsan masuuliyiinta Dowlada Ethopia u fadhiya Safaarada gaar ahaan Mr Asmalaash oo ah madax qunsiliyada u fadhiya Ethopia dalka Soomaliya.

First batch of the wounded from Buuhoodle arrive this evening at Gaalkacyo. They were met some 22 km outside the city by the newly selected Gaalkacyo health team committee by the Health Minister of Puntland at his recent visit to Gaalkacyo, Mudug, Puntland State. We wish them quick recovery inshaallaah.

Self-styled king-maker Ahmedou Walad Abdalla failed miserably in the Mission to Burundi where he was accused of partiality and one-sidedness by the students of the only University in Burundi who hold up placards denoting "No to Abdalla, Go home Abdalla, Abdalla out and Burundi is sovereign and mature enough to dispense easily with your tutelage,” Indeed the man who failed in the Burundi Mission now failed in Somalia as well after also being found out to be biased and partial in his dealings, "No to Abdalla, Out with biased Abdalla, indeed".

UN envoy leaves Burundi after two years of “preventive diplomacy”. Annie Thomas October 11, 1995 NAIROBI, Oct 11 (AFP) - UN special representative Ahmedou Ould Abdallah quit Burundi on Wednesday after two years of tortuous “preventive diplomacy” in a country seething on the edge of civil war. “I am leaving at the end of a busy mandate,” Ould Abdallah told AFP in Nairobi by telephone. “I myself asked to leave, in the Arab style ... quietly,” said the Mauritanian diplomat, a former minister in his home country. Ould Abdallah, who arrived in November 1993, is returning to UN headquarters in New York. No successor has yet been named, but the interim will be assured by his deputy, Abdelaziz Hany, an Egyptian. Ould Abdallah, a Moslem who will be 55 next month, won a reputation in the largely Christian central African mini-state for reacting coolly to successive crises. Rumours abound on the reasons behind his departure, but he rejected them all, stressing that it had “nothing to do with the Burundians,” who turned on a “very big reception” to mark his leaving. Announcements that he was about to leave were made several times during his term, which was initially for several months, but as crisis followed crisis he stayed on. He developed his own brand of “preventive diplomacy” at the head of a dozen international experts and another dozen Burundians, but with no UN troops to back his policies. He is given much of the credit for the prevention so far of all-out civil war between Hutus and Tutsis, but clashes and massacres are common. “I arrived at the conclusion that preventive diplomacy could not come from one man, but had to be a joint effort between the government, the United Nations, non-governmental organisations and the press,” he said. He has one regret about leaving: “I shall miss the formal opening of the national debate (on reconciliation), planned for the end of the year. I would have liked to launch it.” Ould Abdallah says there exist two major misconceptions about Burundi: that it is a time-bomb waiting to explode into civil war on a scale similar to that in neighbouring Rwanda last year -- “that has destabilised the country” -- and that its problems are confined within its borders, “whereas the problem is regional.” “There are three million refugees and displaced persons, Rwandans and Burundians, within a circle which has a diameter of 300 kilometres (180 miles),” he said, voicing his support for a regional conference on refugees. Ould Abadallah arrived in Bujumbura after a failed coup d`etat on October 21, 1993 during which soldiers assassinated the country`s first Hutu president, Melchior Ndadaye, who had been elected five months previously. His death triggered massacres which left more than 50,000 people dead. Ould Abdallah`s mission was to oversee the establishment of new institutions and a new president. That was done in three months. But on April 6, 1994, with the UN envoy on the point of leaving, the new president, Cyprien Ntaryamira, another Hutu, was killed along with Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana when their plane was shot down over Kigali. That triggered the war in Rwanda in which Hutu extremists slaughtered more than half-a-million men, women and children, but mass killing was avoided in Burundi, which had the same ethnic mix -- 85 percent Hutu to 14 percent Tutsi. But the killing destabilised the country, and a new president was needed. That took until September of 1994, when a power-sharing “government convention” was signed and interim president Sylvestre Ntibantunganya, a Hutu, was confirmed in the post by a 68-1 vote in parliament. “After that, there was a need to consolidate the regime,” said Ould Abdallah. But, as he leaves, the moderates are under threat, with much of the tiny country controlled by Hutu and Tutsi militias and violent death commonplace.

PRIME MINISTER CALLS ON STUDENTS TO GIVE HIM MORE TIME. BBC Monitoring Service: Africa March 28, 1995 Excerpts from report by Burundi radio Mr Antoine Nduwayo, the prime minister, yesterday [26th March] afternoon met the university students and staff at the Kiriri campus [in Bujumbura]. The meeting followed four days interrupted lectures. You will recall that the latter organized a demonstration march last week to protest against the lack of impartiality on the part of Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, the UN representative in Burundi. University students and staff are demanding his departure. In addition, university students and staff are asking for the restoration of peace and security so that they can resume lectures. The prime minister agreed with them, for, he said, one can neither work nor build anything durable without security. On disarmament, he said the operation was continuing, adding, however, that if the problem of displaced people was not resolved there would be no peace either. The prime minister spoke at length about disarmament and took the opportunity to deliver a message to the students. [Nduwayo - recording] [Words indistinct] this frantic armament which has developed in our country and which today constitutes the number one security factor, did not happen by (?mere chance)... When, at the beginning of the crisis, we noticed that young Hutus were beginning to arm themselves - some young Hutus, because the majority of the [words indistinct] are not armed [words indistinct], as is the case among the Tutsis [sentence as heard]. All the same, there were some youths who armed themselves [words indistinct]. As a reaction, we saw some Tutsi youths arming themselves. Well, the result is what we are going through... We have announced that we are going to disarm people. It is easy to say it. One has got to implement and achieve it. Today there is political will, but we must tell you that it is a complex and (?difficult) problem. I am surprised to hear that as long as the (?new) government is not yet (word indistinct) you will not resume lectures.... We can disarm by force and we in fact do it from time to time... So, we are going to continue the disarmament. Work is in progress and other strategies are being prepared. I have felt that you are being extremely harsh with us... This government was formed on 1st March. Today it is the 26th. Do you think we can put in place coherent political strategies, not only for disarmament but also for reconstruction, put in place a coherent policy for mending the national fabric, and achieve all this in 26 days. When do you want us to do this? When the government is continually forced to go and put out fires here in Bujumbura, when all the time attacks are taking place in every direction, and when, to all this, you add demonstrations by those who should understand that the government needs time to prepare all the strategies and start working: Well you want one thing and its opposite at the same time... So I ask you to be both harsh and to shake us up when you see us sleeping. But also, give us time to work. And give yourselves time to (?learn). So, I would like to ask you - or rather tell you - that this is a government that has just been put in place. (?Give) the government some breathing space at least, so that we can show you what we can achieve. Since I assumed the post of prime minister [passage indistinct], there have been strikes [words indistinct] this cannot work. If you add to this your demands and demonstrations [words indistinct]... I fully understand your message through your communication at the beginning [words indistinct] in which you called for more security. Everyone is demanding the same thing. Maybe you have the right to demonstrate, but the peasant who is suffering in the interior of the country and the (?displaced people) are asking for (?even more). Think about them. Concerning the displaced, there is a policy that is being [word indistinct] and I can assure you that I have committed myself to providing every family with a plot of land where they can (?farm) by the time the first rains come in September and October. This is a schedule we cannot deviate from. I will personally ensure that the displaced and repatriated speedily return to either their properties, or, if it is not possible, we will find somewhere else for them. Source: Radio Burundi, Bujumbura, in French 0430 gmt 27 Mar 95 © 1995 The British Broadcasting Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

UN SPECIAL ENVOY ABDALLAH INTERVIEWED ON STUDENT UNREST IN BUJUMBURA. BBC Monitoring Service: Africa March 25, 1995 The situation is becoming worse. The army has been dishing it out to Hutu armed groups in Kanyosha, a southern suburb of the capital Bujumbura, where students took to the streets this morning [23rd March] to protest against the actions and presence of the UN representative in Burundi, Mauritanian Ahmedou Ould Abdallah. In a communique, the students also demanded the departure of the head of state and the dissolution of parliament. Celcius Senguignouva reports: [senguignouva - recording] The students at the University of Burundi - the only university in the country - decided to organize a protest march against the UN secretary-general`s special representative in Burundi, Mauritanian Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, at a meeting yesterday. There had been grumbling for some days by Tutsis against Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, who was accused of supporting President Sylvestre Ntibantunganya and the Front for Democracy in Burundi [Frodebu], the majority party. Mr Abdallah is painted within the Tutsi community as favouring the Hutus in this political and ethnic conflict, which has been going on for the past 18 months. The students demonstrated with placards bearing slogans that rejected the action of the UN secretary - general`s special representative and demanded his immediate recall. In their demonstration, the students criticized the head of state, Sylvestre Ntibantunganya. On the placards displayed by the students one could read: Ntibantunganya must choose between the national army and the Intagohekas. The Intagohekas are Hutu ministers who claim to be former Interior Minister Leonard Nyangoma`s supporters. This student demonstration epitomizes the extent to which the political and security situation has worsened in Bujumbura and the country. Student demonstrations in Bujumbura have always been the harbingers of serious crises in the country. They held demonstrations soon after the Frodebu victory in the elections to denounce the ethnic tone of the elections. Concerning security, the Burundian security forces have been clamping down on Hutu armed groups since yesterday evening in Kanyosha, a southern suburb in the capital. Gunshots could be heard until 1100 [local time]. A bus and its passengers were reported missing in the Hutu suburb of Kamenge. The police think the bus was seized, and that some of its passengers are being held hostage. [End of recording] This student demonstration comes two days after violence which led to about 20 deaths in Bujumbura between 19th and 22nd March, a situation which prompted fears of a repeat of the Rwandan crisis. The risks are still great and anything is possible, UN special representative Abdallah told us this morning: [Abdallah - recording] Anything is possible, I am not ruling out anything, but I must tell you that the situation is being controlled by the government and the security forces. People are dying, which is deplorable, but you must know that for the past 18 months - [pauses] Since 6th April, it has been said that Burundi is going to collapse. This has been said for a year now. So, what conclusion do you want me to draw? For the past year, the media, non-governmental organizations, governments, everybody - [pauses] it is possible, and although the situation is very difficult, this is also one more reason why we must see what we can do about it. [Announcer] Each time you speak, Mr Abdallah, one gets a feeling of optimism. On what do you base your optimism about the country`s situation - [Abdallah - interrupting] It is not optimism, it is realism. I am not optimistic, I am realistic. I am telling you that the situation is very difficult, but that the people are now under control and that this situation has been going on for a year now. The fundamental problem is the same: distrust. The crisis was very deep and, added to that, there was fear and a lack of trust. There are a whole lot of problems. [Announcer] Is it this distrust that is making students demonstrate today in Bujumbura? [Abdallah] I do not think the demonstration is related to distrust. Their demands are very explicit and do not require any comment. They are demanding the departure of the head of state and the dissolution of the parliament, but these are demands being made by young students, who are certainly expressing some existing fears. Source: Africa No 1 radio, Libreville, in French 1215 gmt 23 Mar 95 Text of report by Gabonese Africa No 1 radio © BBC Monitoring Summary of World Broadcasts.

Burundi students protest against U.N. envoy. March 23, 1995 BUJUMBURA, March 23 (Reuter) - Thousands of placard-waving students marched through Burundi`s capital Bujumbura on Thursday protesting that a United Nations special envoy was taking sides in its ethnic conflict. Nearly 3,000 mainly Tutsi students accused Ahmedou Ould Abdallah of backing Hutu extremists and of downplaying a weekend incident in which a number of people including three Belgians were killed in cold blood by guerrillas. The students also criticised President Sylvestre Ntibantunganya for remaining silent on the attack which sparked fresh ethnic fighting in the country between minority Tutsis and the majority Hutu people. “U.N. yes, Abdallah no. Abdallah go home,” read one placard. “Abdallah is with the armed Hutu gangs. Time for colonisation is gone,” read another. The chanting students marched from the city`s university campus to the president`s office and onto the Belgian embassy before dispersing outside the U.N. envoy`s residence. Tension in the central African country is high and mounting between Hutus and Tutsis, the two ethnic groups involved in strife that has all but torn neighbouring Rwanda apart. Security forces watched from a distance and did not intervene throughout the peaceful march. The U.N. envoy could not be reached for comment. Victims of the weekend attack were gunned down during an ambush outside the city on Sunday. Etienne Waltzing, Corinne Salle and her daughter Jazmin were killed when their car came under fire 12 km (seven miles) southeast of Bujumbura. They were all Burundi-born members of the tight-knit community from the central African nation`s former colonial power and were the first foreigners to be deliberately slain in Burundi`s bloodshed which erupted 18 months ago … © 1995 Reuters Limited

BURUNDI`S DEMOGRAPHIC TIME BOMB TICKS EVER LOUDER. By Chris McGreal in Bujumbura The Guardian March 21, 1995 YOU will hear it many times in Burundi: the tiny central African country is not neighbouring Rwanda, their fates are not inextricably bound, whatever their similarities. Yet enough of the world fears that Burundi will follow its neighbour`s plunge into the abyss to make a greater effort to prevent it than anyone was prepared to do in Rwanda a year ago. Perhaps it is guilt at the abandonment of Rwanda`s Tutsis to their holocaust. Or perhaps it is the realisation that the cost of failure in Burundi - where more than 100,000 people have already died in 18 months of turmoil - will be hundreds of millions of pounds in aid. Whatever the motive, it has pushed Burundi on to the United Nations Security Council agenda and brought a scrutiny tragically lacking before the Rwandan genocide. Washington`s controversial ambassador, Robert Krueger, tramps across Burundi exposing massacres, in defiance of death threats. UN missions undiplomatically name names, accusing the main Tutsi opposition party of destabilising the coalition government of which it is a part. And the UN special representative, Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, makes himself unpopular with extremists by pushing an imaginative agenda for a long-term settlement. The distinctions between Rwanda and Burundi are important. While Hutus outnumber Tutsis by six to one in both countries, Rwanda`s Tutsis were underdogs and unable to protect themselves. In Burundi there is a balance of terror: Hutus have the numbers, but Tutsis control the army and wield considerable political power. Mr Abdallah says his role is not to persuade the minority to surrender the power it sees as protection. “These people have ruled the country for 30 years,” he said. “To ask them to step aside is unrealistic and irresponsible and I will not accept it, despite criticism.” Instead, he says, the UN aims to help replace the balance of terror with a system in which both peoples have confidence. But it has met with only limited success in pressing for reform of the army, which the Tutsis see as their guarantee of security but the Hutu regard as the principal obstacle to change. Tutsi hardliners in the coalition have rejected offers to help build an independent judiciary capable of ending the impunity with which Tutsi soldiers and extremists persecute Hutus. Mr Abdallah is pushing for sanctions - including an international travel ban and freezing of overseas bank accounts - against individuals who refuse to co-operate with reform or threaten the coalition. Mr Krueger has another tactic: attempting to embarrass the military into reform. In January he outraged hardline Tutsis by visiting a massacre site and announcing that at least 70 Hutus, mostly women and children, had been murdered by men in army uniforms. Prominent Tutsi politicians denounced Mr Krueger for siding with Hutus. La Nation, the newspaper of the former dictator Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, called for the American ambassador to be “shot down”. “From time to time diplomatic immunity is useless, particularly at a time of war - and we are at war,” the paper said. Although the Security Council has taken Burundi`s misery on board, Mr Abdallah is looking for a long-term commitment unlikely to find favour with the big powers. It includes an indefinite deployment of UN troops so that Burundi can dismantle the army. “The West has to have the political will to send troops for 30 years, and then you can create a Costa Rica,” - the peaceful Central American state without an army. Equally controversial is the issue Mr Abdallah argues lies at the heart of the problem. “There is a time bomb. The country is suffocated by demographics. There are 260 people per square kilometre. The population doubles every 15 years and there are no big cities to absorb people. The second largest city is a refugee camp. We have to be imaginative about this.” *Rene Degni Segui, the UN special investigator for Rwanda, said yesterday that police were investigating information that his name featured on a “death list” compiled by hardline Hutus in Ivory Coast.