Key takeaways from President Evariste Ndayishimiye’s visit to DRC

Special Edition | July 20, 2021

Dear RegionWeek Readers

On July 12 at the end of the afternoon, President Ndaysihimiye landed at N'djili airport in Kinshasa, in a three-day state visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he met with his counterpart President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo. In the following lines, we present to you the key takeaways of this visit.

1.A vibrant Burundian diaspora welcomed the President

As he got off the plane, President Evariste Ndayishimiye was greeted by a welcoming committee headed by the Prime Minister, His Excellency Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde.  but what was remarkable was a crowd of Burundians who live and work in Kinshasa that was at N’djili airport to warmly welcome President Evariste Ndayishimiye.

2.Tête à Tête around security and border management issues

Congolese Head of State Félix Tshisekedi spoke one-to-one with his Burundian counterpart Evariste Ndayishimiye on Tuesday (July 13th) in Kinshasa. According to the Burundian Presidency, the two Heads of State have in particular discussed "matters of security order on the common border". The DRC and Burundi share land and lake borders in South Kivu. "The 2 Heads of State analyzed the ways and means of carrying out projects aimed at improving the free movement of goods and services for a better quality of life for the respective Peoples".

3.Joint efforts to track down the enemies of peace

During the discussion, President Félix Tshisekedi once again defended his regional policy.  “We are going to do with Burundi, which we have done with Uganda and Rwanda. It means joining our efforts through our defense and security services to hunt down the enemies of peace. A door always remains open to proposing to these enemies of peace to join in the initiative to put an end to the violence in this region ". said president Felix Tshisekedi.

For the President of DRC, the invitation to his Burundian counterpart aimed to reassure each other. According to him, a lot has happened in the region. “Alliances and misalliances which have sometimes cast doubts on the relations between the administrations of our countries. It was very important to meet at the top to discuss and stimulate a new breath, a new determination which will push our services which are already working together to help us bring back as quickly as possible this peace for our compatriots”, he added. 

"We have agreed to collaborate on the security plan especially at the level of common borders to eradicate the negative forces which mourn countries and sabotage development", declared President Evariste Ndayishimiye. 

More specifically, Kinshasa and Gitega signed four memorandums of understanding on the development, maintenance, and strengthening of peace, defense, and security, on the sidelines of Ndayishimiye's visit. 

4.Call for the lifting of Western sanctions against Burundi 

President Félix Tshisekedi pleaded in favor of the lifting of the sanctions that weigh on Burundi. The Congolese Head of State expressed his appreciation for the progress made in Burundi.

“I congratulated President Ndayishimiye on his effort in just one year. The performances achieved today are visible. Burundi has ensured food self-sufficiency. This was achieved in a difficult context. Burundi is under international sanction. I take this opportunity to plead in favor of this country, ”said the Congolese Head of State. 

According to Tshisekedi, Burundi is a country that has shown its ability to self-sustain. Today, it is a stable, open, and democratic country that requires the support of the international community and requires the contribution of international capital to allow it to develop.  

5.The relaunch of the large joint cooperation commission

The two countries decided to relaunch the large joint cooperation commission so that the agreements signed earlier and those signed during the visit can be implemented.

Particular attention was paid to infrastructure projects that link Burundi and DRC especially the joint project of development of a standard gauge railway (SGR) Uvinza - Musongati - Gitega - Uvira - Kindu, section Gitega - Bujumbura - Uvira - Kindu. 

"By building the railway which will link the economic capital of Burundi to Kindu, passing Bujumbura, Uvira, Bukavu, Kamituga, the two countries will have taken a big step towards socio-economic influence, by improving the free movement of goods and people", said President Ndayishimiye.   

6.Call on Burundi nationals active in armed groups in the DRC to return home

On the occasion of his visit to Kinshasa, the Burundian Head of State, Evariste Ndayishimiye reached out to nationals of his country present in armed groups in eastern DRC. 

“I call on them to join their compatriots and work together for the development of our country. This is to tell you that the country is a parent, they are welcome in their country. We are ready to receive them and train them to become once again honest citizens like the others ” - said President Ndayishimiye.

The Bottom Line

Agreements and memorandums of understanding aimed at relaunching and consolidating cooperation were signed by the two neighboring countries (Burundi and DRC). The development of the Gitega-Uvira-Kindu Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), trade facilitation, maintenance and strengthening of peace, defense and security, political and diplomatic consultations was among the key talking points during the three-day state visit to the DRC.

Evariste Ndayishimiye and Félix Tshisekedi underlined the interest in carrying out projects of great importance in the development of trade and the mobility of populations. They pledged to build bridges for vehicles and pedestrians between the provinces of South Kivu (DRC) and Cibitoke (Burundi) on the Rusizi river as well as the rehabilitation and electrification of the Bujumbura-Uvira-Bukavu-Goma road. 

 The two countries have enjoyed good relations since the time of independence and relations between the DRC and Burundi are governed by several agreements, the first of which, commercial, was signed in Kinshasa on June 29, 1966.

Thanks for reading!

Fabrice Iranzi, Editor in Chief | RegionWeek.com