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BURUNDI: FNL’s “Hidden Agenda”:

BURUNDI: FNL’s “Hidden Agenda”: Former rebels seem reluctant to hand over their weapons. Several thousand combatants of the Forces for National Liberation (FNL) assembled at Rugazi in northwestern Bubanza Province by late July but only a few weapons had been handed in, according to observers. FNL spokesman Pasteur Habimana said 2,450 fighters were in Rugazi and that number would rise to 3,000 as more came in from pre‐assembly areas in Bujumbura Rurale. The rebels were required to surrender their weapons to an African Union ( AU ) protection unit, but only 40 weapons had been handed in, according to government spokeswoman Hafsa Mossi. That number of weapons, she added, was very small considering the number of combatants supposed to have them. This had prompted the government to question where other arms were being kept. In a statement issued on July 25 th the government said: “All the combatants still holding weapons are considered criminals”. It also criticised the FNL for failing to forward the list of its combatants to the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JVMM), saying this was evidence the movement was still recruiting fighters in order to meet the number of 21,000 men it says it has. “That is evidence http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series Wiley

BURUNDI: FNL’s “Hidden Agenda”:

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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2008
ISSN
0001-9844
eISSN
1467-825X
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-825X.2008.01837.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Former rebels seem reluctant to hand over their weapons. Several thousand combatants of the Forces for National Liberation (FNL) assembled at Rugazi in northwestern Bubanza Province by late July but only a few weapons had been handed in, according to observers. FNL spokesman Pasteur Habimana said 2,450 fighters were in Rugazi and that number would rise to 3,000 as more came in from pre‐assembly areas in Bujumbura Rurale. The rebels were required to surrender their weapons to an African Union ( AU ) protection unit, but only 40 weapons had been handed in, according to government spokeswoman Hafsa Mossi. That number of weapons, she added, was very small considering the number of combatants supposed to have them. This had prompted the government to question where other arms were being kept. In a statement issued on July 25 th the government said: “All the combatants still holding weapons are considered criminals”. It also criticised the FNL for failing to forward the list of its combatants to the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JVMM), saying this was evidence the movement was still recruiting fighters in order to meet the number of 21,000 men it says it has. “That is evidence

Journal

Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural SeriesWiley

Published: Aug 1, 2008

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