Declaration of the Palipehutu-FNL

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Country/entity: Burundi
Region: Africa (excl MENA)
Agreement name: Declaration of the Palipehutu-FNL
Date: 9 Jan 2009
Agreement status: Unilateral document
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/intrastate conflict
Burundian Civil War (1993-2005)
The conflict had an ethnic base between Hutu and Tutsi populations, and is one of a set of regionally connected conflicts also addressed n the Great Lakes process. Since independence in 1972, the Burundian political landscape has been polarised and marked by ethnic-based tensions, political assassinations and large-scale violence. For the following two decades, three Tutsi military regimes associated with the Union for National Progress (UPRONA) ruled the country. During these military dictatorships, numerous waves of mass violence resulted from the attempts of various opposition rebels groups to destabilise the three regimes, and the regimes’ use of violence to repress these attempts. Despite a wave of hope in the early 1990’s, Burundi entered a decade-long civil war in 1993 following the assassination of Burundi’s first democratically elected president, Melchior Ndadaye, from the ethnically-Hutu Front for Democracy in Burundi (FRODEBU) by Tutsi opposition in the military.
In 1998 the Arusha Peace Talks commenced and in August 2000, international pressure resulted in the signing of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement for Burundi. However, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy (CNND) did not sign. Additionally, and Party for the Liberation of Hutu People (Palipehutu) did not participate in negotiations. These outsiders continued sporadic violence until 2008. In 2015, a new wave of political violence is taking place after President Nkurunziza, from the CNDD-FDD which has been in power since 2005, won a contested third-mandate.
Stage: Framework/substantive - partial
Conflict nature: Government
Peace process: Burundi: Arusha and related peace process
Parties: -
Third parties: -
Description: A unilateral statement by the Palipehutu-FNL, accepting to form a political party as requested by previous negotiations, and asking the government to commit to registering them as such as soon as possible.

Agreement document: BI_090109_DeclarationofthePALIPEHUTU.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF
Agreement document (original language): BI_090109_DeclarationofthePALIPEHUTU.pdfV1.pdf (opens in new tab)| Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: No specific mention.
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: No specific mention.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): No specific mention.
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: No specific mention.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): No specific mention.
Elections: No specific mention.
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: Governance→Political parties reform→Rebels transitioning to political parties
Page 1,

We agree to sacrifice ourselves and cut our identity up by changing the name of our party. From now on, the PALIPEHUTU-FNL becomes “FNL”: Forces Nationales de Libération (in English National Forces for the liberation).

We would like to request the Government to be also flexible and register this new party with no conditionality, whatsoever. It is for this reason, in this very decisive moment of the history of Burundians, we would like to hold as witnesses, Burundians, the Political Directorate, Member countries of the Regional Initiative, as well as the International Community involved in the Burundi Peace Process, who were looking forward to this big event.
Civil society: No specific mention.
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing: No specific mention.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: No specific mention.
Mobility/access: No specific mention.
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: No specific mention.
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: No specific mention.
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: No specific mention.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: No specific mention.
Ceasefire: No specific mention.
Police: No specific mention.
Armed forces: No specific mention.
DDR: No specific mention.
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: Page 1,

We agree to sacrifice ourselves and cut our identity up by changing the name of our party. From now on, the PALIPEHUTU-FNL becomes “FNL”: Forces Nationales de Libération (in English National Forces for the liberation).

We would like to request the Government to be also flexible and register this new party with no conditionality, whatsoever. It is for this reason, in this very decisive moment of the history of Burundians, we would like to hold as witnesses, Burundians, the Political Directorate, Member countries of the Regional Initiative, as well as the International Community involved in the Burundi Peace Process, who were looking forward to this big event.
Withdrawal of foreign forces: No specific mention.
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: No specific mention.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: No specific mention.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: No specific mention.
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: No specific mention.
Reconciliation: No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory: No specific mention.
Other international signatory: No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: No specific mention.
Enforcement mechanism: No specific mention.
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: ISS Resource Centre www.issafrica.org

DECLARATION OF THE PALIPEHUTU-FNL

Bujumbura, 9 January 2009

The PALIPEHUTU-FNL responded positively to the call of Burundians, the Region and the International Community, to sit for negotiations that led to Agreements signed in Dar-Es-Salaam on

18 June and 7 September 2006, respectively, between the Government of Burundi and the PALIPEHUTU-FNL.

According to these Agreements, the PALIPEHUTU-FNL would be transformed into a political party.

The PALIPEHUTU-FNL also signed the Magaliesberg Declaration of 10 June 2008, whose spirit and words enjoined both parties to be more flexible in dealing concurrently with both military and political issues.

This spirit was supplemented by the Ngozi Declaration of 29 August 2008, which recommended the Political Directorate to assist parties in reaching a common ground as far as the registration of the PALIPEHUTU-FNL and its integration into national life are concerned.

In conformity with the Declaration of 4 December 2008, the PALIPEHUTU-FNL undertook on Sunday 4 January 2009 a campaign to explain to its members the obligations related to the accreditation of the political party and to hold consultations so that a new name could be found for its registration as a political party.

After consultations with our militants and exchange of various views and considerations:

Considering the pressing time factor;

Considering also the high interest for durable peace all Burundians aspire to;

We agree to sacrifice ourselves and cut our identity up by changing the name of our party.

From now on, the PALIPEHUTU-FNL becomes “FNL”:

Forces Nationales de Libération (in English National Forces for the liberation).

We would like to request the Government to be also flexible and register this new party with no conditionality, whatsoever.

It is for this reason, in this very decisive moment of the history of Burundians, we would like to hold as witnesses, Burundians, the Political Directorate, Member countries of the Regional Initiative, as well as the International Community involved in the Burundi Peace Process, who were looking forward to this big event.

As for any new organizations, we hereby would like also to request the support of the International Community in different areas.

Done in Bujumbura, this 9 January 2009 Agathon Rwasa, Chairman