Army ethics Burundian style

Soldiers must focus on fighting wars, the Dutch Defence Minister believes, thus distancing himself from the ‘three D’ approach favoured by the Dutch government: Defence, Development and Diplomacy. An approach that seems to bear fruit in Burundi.

By Hélène Michaud

You are a Burundian officer and you learn that the humanitarian aid you are supposed to secure is being sold on the black market. If you would attempt to stop the traffic, the convoys could be stopped and no aid would reach the disaster victims at all.

In a classroom this morning, around twenty officers, notepads in hand and attention focused, try to figure out how to take an ‘ethical decision’, namely a decision that upholds human dignity, international laws and conventions.

The term ‘military ethics’ was new to most of the 800 officers who have taken part in the training programme in recent years. Before, they were involved in a deadly armed conflict for 15 years. “Immediately after the war, our forces were in a state of disarray, characterised by a general lack of discipline and a total disregard for human rights, human life and the population at large. It was therefore urgent to initiate a process of reform aimed at improving the soldiers’ conduct and professionalising the army”, explains Brigadier General Cyprien Ndikurjo.

Security Sector Reform
According to the World Bank, after a conflict, one country in two usually slides back into warring within ten years. In order to ward off this possibility, Burundi, a landlocked country in a highly unstable region, where violence flares up almost every day, has engaged in a ‘Security Sector Development’ (SSD) programme. It is supported by the Netherlands over a period of eight years and is coordinated by the Brigadier General.

This concept, best known as Security Sector Reform or SSR, has been favoured by international organisations including the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the UN and countries such as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It is generally understood that development cannot be achieved without security, and that security is not solely the concern of the army or police.

Reconstruction of institutions
As SSD Programme Director in Burundi, Serge Rumin, explains, it is about strengthening the defence forces (army and police) and linking them to institutions such as Parliament, NGOs and the media. “We are trying to bring all these actors to the table”, says Rumin. “In Burundi, it is unusual for a civilian to interfere with the army, whereas in Holland it is normal”, adds Lieutenant Colonel Alwin van den Boogaard, Programme Manager on behalf of the Dutch army.

The programme is innovative in that it provides for the readjustment of strategy every two years, thus taking into account the fragile state of the Burundian society and the security needs of the population. According to Serge Rumin, it is an “interesting testing ground”. The biggest challenge will be the reconstruction of institutions in a conflict-stricken society.

Mental gymnastics
Back to the classroom. Prior to our awareness of the ethical dimension, says Major Ferdinand, 39, “we used to take hasty decisions without any mental gymnastics or reasoning.”

Ferdinand and his fellow officers have learned the three steps of ethical decision-making: analysing the facts, considering the ethical aspects and formulating options. The next move is chosing a particular course of action, as a “moral agent” who must conduct in a “humane” way.

General Sylvestre Mikokoro, in charge of the ethics programme, explains that the training is aimed at reconnecting with traditional Burundian values, lost during the war.

“In our culture it is forbidden to harm a child, a pregnant woman or an elderly or disabled person”, he says. While erstwhile source of insecurity in the country, the National Liberation Forces (NFL), have managed to restore their image with the people, a feat the police is yet to achieve.

Lessons for/from Somalia
The ethics course, which includes the respect for women’s rights and the role of female soldiers, is at the heart of the SSD programme. These notions are considered useful on the ground in Somalia, where 2500 Burundian soldiers have been deployed as part of the African Union Peace Mission in Somalia, with the support of the UN. Conversely, the hard-earned Somali experience could prove beneficial to Burundi as a country. The mission also adds to the international prestige of the Burundian army.

In the long run, the Netherlands also hope to indirectly reap the fruits of the training programme. Kees Roels, the Dutch Chargé d’Affaires in Burundi: “Burundi plays a vital role in stabilising Somalia by attacking the root cause of the problem”. A more stable Somalia, it is believed, could better handle piracy, which threatens Dutch ships in the Indian Ocean. Moreover, compared to the billions of euros spent in the fight against piracy on the Somali coast, the SSD project in Burundi will only cost 20 million euros for the first phase and 13 million for the second.

Results on the ground
However, according to Dutch expert on the Horn of Africa, Jan Abbink, this theory is “quite farfetched”. Abbink argues that the pirates are concentrated in the Puntland region, far from Mogadishu where the Burundian troops are deployed.
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It is, therefore, on the ground that the results of the ‘three D’ approach are most visible. Lieutenant Colonel Van den Boogaard: “If the behaviour of the Burundian army wouldn’t be improving, I would have left a long time ago, because I must still convince Dutch taxpayers that their money is not wasted.” He recalls the year 2004: the gunshots, the attacks, and the curfew. “We are not there yet, but at some point some officers were enlightened”. He hopes that the progress achieved be consolidated.