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In Burundi, an influx of Congolese individuals continues as they seek refuge from the advancing M23.
In May, Burundi held a presidential election which was won by Evariste Ndayishimiye, candidate of the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) party.
Ndayishimiye was hurriedly sworn in after the untimely death of president Pierre Nkurunziza in June.
Rights violations continue
The Council encouraged donor countries which had suspended aid to Burundi to continue dialogue towards resumption of development assistance.
A report by a UN watchdog in September said human rights violations were still being committed in Burundi, including sexual violence and murder.
The country was plunged into a crisis in April 2015 when Ndayishimiye’s predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term, which he ultimately won in July 2015.
His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup in May 2015.
Hundreds of people were killed and over 300,000 fled to neighboring countries.
President Paul Kagame’s condolence message to Burundians following the death of the outgoing President Pierre Nkurunziza marked his first public message to the country since relations between Rwanda and Burundi turned sour in 2015.
“The government of Rwanda wishes to congratulate the newly elected president of Burundi, Maj-Gen Evariste Ndayishimiye and takes this opportunity to express her willingness to improve the historical relationship that exists between the two brother countries,” the statement from Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation said.
Rwanda has since desisted from commenting on Burundian politics, which experts argue is aimed at not causing tensions with Tanzania — which is not just a strong political ally of Burundi, but also a strong trade ally of Rwanda’s.
“President Nkurunziza’s successor will most likely continue the political line of the ruling party, which for long has been in open conflict with the government of Rwanda.
But there is a chance, as we have seen before in politics, that a new president can develop their own different personality and prefer to pursue or implement reforms that can bring about better relations with neighbours,” Charles Kabwete, Associate Professor of History at the University of Rwanda told The EastAfrican.
The civil society in Uganda is demanding transparency in the spending of Covid-19 loans to avoid loading taxpayers with corruption-fuelled debts.
Uganda had by end of last week received about $600 million (about Ush2.3 trillion) from various lenders to deal with the Covid-19 disruption, including a $491.5 million loan from the International Monetary Fund.
According to Julius Kapwepwe, director of programs at the debt tracking NGO, Uganda Debt Network (UDN), East African governments should be guided by necessity and not the convenience of the situation brought about by the pandemic.
The NGO disputes Uganda's official debt figures and estimates the real figure could be Ush14.3 trillion before accounting for the recent borrowing.
A big chunk of the money has been given to Uganda to address health emergencies brought about by the coronavirus while some of it is directed to shore up the economy, which has been affected by lockdown measures taken by the government to curb the spread of the virus.
Africa's top official leading the continental fight against the Covid-19 pandemic has rebuked the Burundi government for kicking out the World Health Organisation's top official in the country after the WHO raised concerns about the danger of crowded election rallies spreading the deadly virus.
Burundi is pressing ahead with its election on 20 May despite the pandemic and the WHO Africa department head recently expressed concerns about people crowding together during a recent election rally for the governing party of President Pierre Nkurunziza.
Burundi's foreign ministry then wrote to the WHO saying its representative to Burundi, Walter Kazadi Mulombo, had been declared \"persona non grata\" and must leave by Friday, along with three WHO experts, according to AP.
Dr John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said Burundi's action was \"unfortunate\", coming at a time when the maximum co-ordination and co-operation were needed to fight the pandemic.
\"We don't have the luxury of kicking out the WHO which has been a strong partner,\" Nkengasong said in a virtual press conference from Addis Ababa on Thursday.
Abuja — President Muhammadu Buhari last night sent a condolence message to the people and government of Burundi over the death of their president, Mr. Pierre Nkurunziza.
In the condolence message made available by presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, Buhari described Nkurunziza as a patriot who led his country through turbulent times.
\"It is with profound grief and sadness that we received the news of the death of President Pierre Nkurunziza.
President Nkurunziza was a true patriot that steered the country through turbulent times with wisdom and foresight.
\"The Government of the Republic of Burundi announces with great sadness the unexpected death of His Excellency Pierre Nkurunziza, President of the Republic of Burundi following heart failure on June 8, 2020,\" it said in a post on its official Twitter account.
Burundi's ruling party candidate Evariste Ndayishimiye has won last week's presidential election with 68.7 percent of the vote, the country's poll commission has said.
The retired army general is set to take over the helm from President Pierre Nkurunziza after beating opposition rival Agathon Rwasa who garnered 24.19 percent of the vote.
Burundians went to the ballot on May 20 in an election that fielded seven candidates.
The election marked the end of Mr Nkurunziza's 15-year-long rule after his attempt to seek a third term led to riots and political unrest.
The polls also took place despite despite a coronavirus outbreak in the region.
President Paul Kagame has sent a message of condolence to the government and people of Burundi, following the passing of President Pierre Nkurunziza.
In his message which he posted on his Twitter handle, President Kagame noted that the government of Rwanda sends condolences to the Burundian people including the first family.
\"On behalf of Gov't and my own behalf I sent our condolences to the Gov't and People of Burundi for the passing of President Nkurunziza.
On behalf of Gov't and my own behalf I sent our condolences to the Gov't and People of Burundi for the passing of President Nkurunziza.
- Paul Kagame (@PaulKagame) June 9, 2020
Following the news, the Burundian government announced seven-day national mourning for the fallen president, starting Wednesday.
Evariste Ndayishimiye, a retired general, will take over from President Pierre Nkurunziza, after he beat the main opposition candidate Agathon Rwasa, and five others, avoiding a runoff by securing more than 50% of the vote.
The main opposition candidate, Agathon Rwasa, president of the National Council for Liberty (CNL), has already described these results as “fanciful” and accused the government of “cheating” and “pure manipulation”.
Election held in the midst of COVID-19
\tAccording to partial results compiled by AFP covering 105 communes, Mr. Ndayishimiye obtained an absolute majority of the votes in 101 communes.
The CNL is also outraged at the case of the Musigati commune (west), where Mr. Ndayishimiye received 99.9% of the vote.
Burundi is ranked among the three poorest countries in the world according to the World Bank, which estimates that 75% of the population lives below the poverty line, compared to 65% when Mr. Nkurunziza came to power in 2005.
Burundi has expelled four officials from the World Health Organization (WHO), declaring them persona non grata and ordering them to leave the country by Friday, a leaked memo from the country’s foreign ministry reveals.
John Nkengasong, the head of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement that he found the decision to hold elections in a time of the COVID-19 crisis irresponsible.
The expelled officials include WHO country head Walter Kazadi Mulombo, field epidemiologist Jean Pierre Mulunda Nkata, health sector coordinator Ruhana Mirindi Bisimwa, and Daniel Tarzy.
Burundi has only 27 reported cases of COVID-19, but health officials suspect cases are on the rise due to the lack of testing and lockdown measures, the CDC said.
In 2019, Burundi expelled United Nations officials who investigated the violence after the 2015 vote.
