msemakweli
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- Feb 20, 2014
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Calls by tanzanian parliamentarians for their government to annexe rwanda and burundi in order to end the crises there have drawn heated reactions from representatives of the two countries.
"An independent parliamentary team should be formed to see how the two countries should be part of Tanzania," said parliamentarian Tuntemeke Sanga, whose call was echoed by other legislators now meeting in the central tanzanian town of Dodoma.
"The countries were part of tanzania, why shouldn't we have them now? A referendum should be made to see if the people of burundi and rwanda want to be part of tanzania," Sanga said.
From 1884 to 1914, rwanda and burundi were part of german East Africa, which further included tanganyika, the mainland part of Tanzania.
The calls appear to be motivated by exasperation at the apparent inability of political forces in the two countries to bring peace to their troubled nations.
Close to a million rwandans are said to have died between april and july last in massacres that ended only when the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) defeated forces loyal to the then government.
Most of the victims were members of Rwanda's tutsi minority butchered by the ‘interahamwe,' a militia made up of the majority hutu.
The war and massacres displaced four million people. Many who fled to neighbouring countries, mainly Tanzania and Zaire, have refused to return, partly through fear, partly because they have been prevented from doing so by the interahamwe.
Burundi has been in turmoil ever since october 1993, when then president melchior ndadaye was killed in an aborted military coup. Over the past week, some 20,000 burundians fled to Tanzania for fear that the political and security situation there might worsen.
Tanzania hosts nearly 800,000 refugees from burundi and Rwanda. Tanzanian parliamentarian sebastian kinyondo said his country "is unable to continue assisting these people.
"These countries are not civilised," he charged, adding: "the only thing is to take them as ours. They should be ruled by countries like Tanzania that are able to do so."
Joining the debade, a senior administrator suggested annexation by force.
"We have to tell them now: if they don't want to reform, Tanzania should take immediate military steps," said ahmed kiwanuka, a provincial commissioner in arusha, northern Tanzania.
"If all fails, the government should review the 1883/84 Berlin treaty at which whites divided Africa, where Tanganyika, Burundi and Rwanda were one country," Kiwanuka said.
The calls drew sharp criticism from officials of the two countries.
"why do they (parliamentarians) demand something which is impossible," said a senior official of the Burundi embassy in Dar es salaam who preferred to remain anonymous. "it's a pity for Tanzanian mps (parliamentarians) to demand that our countries become theirs."
A representative of the Rwandan government said the parliamentarians' calls "were baseless and barbaric."
"how can one demand that Rwanda should be part of Tanzania. This is against the united nations and organisation of African unity charters," he said.
Earlier this week, Tanzanian minister of state for defence, Abdulrahaman Kinana warned the two countries that they should "behave" or face stern measures from Dar es salaam.
"You must make sure ethnic fighting ends," Kinana said, without going into details.
He was supported by Joseph Mbwiliza, Deputy minister for water, energy and minerals who said his government would do whatever it could to ensure that peace returns to its two neighbours.
Source: TANZANIA-POLITICS: CALLS FOR ANNEXATION OF BURUNDI, RWANDA | Inter Press Service
"An independent parliamentary team should be formed to see how the two countries should be part of Tanzania," said parliamentarian Tuntemeke Sanga, whose call was echoed by other legislators now meeting in the central tanzanian town of Dodoma.
"The countries were part of tanzania, why shouldn't we have them now? A referendum should be made to see if the people of burundi and rwanda want to be part of tanzania," Sanga said.
From 1884 to 1914, rwanda and burundi were part of german East Africa, which further included tanganyika, the mainland part of Tanzania.
The calls appear to be motivated by exasperation at the apparent inability of political forces in the two countries to bring peace to their troubled nations.
Close to a million rwandans are said to have died between april and july last in massacres that ended only when the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) defeated forces loyal to the then government.
Most of the victims were members of Rwanda's tutsi minority butchered by the ‘interahamwe,' a militia made up of the majority hutu.
The war and massacres displaced four million people. Many who fled to neighbouring countries, mainly Tanzania and Zaire, have refused to return, partly through fear, partly because they have been prevented from doing so by the interahamwe.
Burundi has been in turmoil ever since october 1993, when then president melchior ndadaye was killed in an aborted military coup. Over the past week, some 20,000 burundians fled to Tanzania for fear that the political and security situation there might worsen.
Tanzania hosts nearly 800,000 refugees from burundi and Rwanda. Tanzanian parliamentarian sebastian kinyondo said his country "is unable to continue assisting these people.
"These countries are not civilised," he charged, adding: "the only thing is to take them as ours. They should be ruled by countries like Tanzania that are able to do so."
Joining the debade, a senior administrator suggested annexation by force.
"We have to tell them now: if they don't want to reform, Tanzania should take immediate military steps," said ahmed kiwanuka, a provincial commissioner in arusha, northern Tanzania.
"If all fails, the government should review the 1883/84 Berlin treaty at which whites divided Africa, where Tanganyika, Burundi and Rwanda were one country," Kiwanuka said.
The calls drew sharp criticism from officials of the two countries.
"why do they (parliamentarians) demand something which is impossible," said a senior official of the Burundi embassy in Dar es salaam who preferred to remain anonymous. "it's a pity for Tanzanian mps (parliamentarians) to demand that our countries become theirs."
A representative of the Rwandan government said the parliamentarians' calls "were baseless and barbaric."
"how can one demand that Rwanda should be part of Tanzania. This is against the united nations and organisation of African unity charters," he said.
Earlier this week, Tanzanian minister of state for defence, Abdulrahaman Kinana warned the two countries that they should "behave" or face stern measures from Dar es salaam.
"You must make sure ethnic fighting ends," Kinana said, without going into details.
He was supported by Joseph Mbwiliza, Deputy minister for water, energy and minerals who said his government would do whatever it could to ensure that peace returns to its two neighbours.
Source: TANZANIA-POLITICS: CALLS FOR ANNEXATION OF BURUNDI, RWANDA | Inter Press Service
