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afrol News, 10 October - An emergency post-conflict assistance credit of US$ 13 million for Burundi was approved yesterday. The credit is to support the government's reconstruction and economic recovery program in the aftermath of the August 2000 Peace and Reconciliation Agreement. The post-conflict credit comes at a time when the country again is ravaged by civil war. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) yesterday announced its approval of the emergency reconstruction credit, more than two years after the Burundian peace agreement was signed. "The credit is available immediately," the IMF however noted. Commenting the credit, Eduardo Aninat of the IMF board stated that Burundi had made "significant progress in laying the basis for normalcy since the conclusion of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in August 2000. Notwithstanding sporadic hostilities, the recent opening of direct negotiations between the government and rebel forces, as well as other peace initiatives in the subregion, provide a basis for cautious optimism that a broad-based settlement could be reached." - Subject to the establishment of a good record of performance under the authorities' program, the Fund stands ready to consider further assistance to Burundi under the post-conflict emergency assistance policy, Mr Aninat added. Mr Aninat however seems to have very different sources on the "post-conflict" situation in Burundi than other UN agencies and governments. Only one week ago, the UN refugee agency UNHCR spoke of a major crisis in Burundi and an escalation of conflict between Burundian military and rebel groups inside the country. More than 100 civilians had been killed at a massacre in Kirambi village of Itaba commune in Gitega on 10 September. Thousands are being displaced as homes are being burnt by soldiers. There is a wave of Burundian refugees arriving Tanzania. The UN Security Council for weeks has been "voicing grave concern about the continuation of hostilities in Burundi" and "deploring the continuing conflict." Other UN agencies and European governments have condemned the Itaba massacre and stated concern over the return of a full-scale civil war. The Security Council in September also had recalled the need for "increased mobilisation of the donor community so that past commitments were respected," calling this funding "an essential condition for the success of the ongoing peace process." There have been repeated calls for funding the Burundian reconstruction since the Arusha Peace, but institutions like the IMF have remained inactive for over two years. The IMF's Mr Aninat however remains optimistic that his agency's credit may help to cement the 2000 Arusha Peace. "However, the authorities still face major challenges to reduce domestic and external imbalances, improve financial management, and reduce poverty," he notes. The Fund further welcomed the adoption by the Burundi authorities "of measures designed to restore financial stability," including through tighter fiscal management. The mobilisation of external assistance in the context of the authorities' program was expected to facilitate economic and financial reforms, "and thus help consolidate the prospects for lasting peace and economic growth in Burundi," Aninat predicts.
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