Burundi : army secrecy

Families of soldiers allegedly killed in Somalia want to see the bodies of their loved ones. They also demand official burial ceremonies. But the Burundian army remains secretive on the issue.

by Désiré Nimubona, Bujumbura

“I heard that my brother was killed in Somalia a few days ago. However, I don’t know when his remains will be sent back for a dignifying burial”, says Inamahoro Casilde. Her only brother was killed serving in AMISOM, the African Union peacekeeping force deployed in Somalia since 2007.

“My brother was very proud to go to Somalia”, she explains, complaining that many families are still uncertain about the condition of their relatives in Somalia.

Uncertainty
“We know that they are serving the country, but we want to know the real status of our relatives”, Emmanuel Ndabaniwe insisted. His brother was reportedly among the wounded soldiers evacuated to a French hospital in Djibouti. “I came to Bujumbura, the capital, hoping to find out more. But I’ve spent three days and still no information about my little brother”.

Earlier local media reports announced that many Burundian soldiers had been killed on February 23, during military offensives against Al-Shabaab in Mogadishu.

The silence game
The Burundian joint staff has since been slow to release complete information on the events in Somalia. In a press conference held on 26 February – day following the repatriation of six soldier bodies – Major-General Godefroid Niyombare stated that “the matter was between the soldier’s families and the Burundian army”.

However, the issue appears to be of secondary importance to the army. According to the Major-General, the success achieved by the offensives was more notable. “Our satisfaction is that the objective of the attacks was reached at 99%”, Niyombare stressed, adding that Burundi “would not withdraw its troops from Somalia”. Since 26 February, 23 bodies of Burundian soldiers have been repatriated but the exact number of casualties remains unknown.

No official burial ceremonies
No local or international media were allowed during burial ceremonies of soldiers killed in Somalia.

“I don’t understand why the Burundian government does not want people to pay tribute to our brave soldiers”, says Edouard Biha, General Secretary of the Iteka Human Rights League in Burundi. “As Burundian citizens, we should all go to the airport to welcome our fallen sons and give them a dignifying burial”.

However, Major-General Niyombare had already implied that a massive ceremony would be inappropriate, as there were only few Burundian casualties.

Meanwhile, Inamahoro Casilde and other families continue to wait for the mortal remains of of their loved ones.