BUJUMBURA October 25th (ABP) – Burundi on Thursday (October 21) commemorated the 28th anniversary of the assassination of the national hero of democracy, President Melchior Ndadaye, in the country’s provinces.
In Gitega province, the ceremonies commemorating the 28th anniversary of the assassination of the hero of democracy and President of the Republic of Burundi, the late Melchior Ndadaye, his collaborators and the Burundians who perished in the massacres which followed that assassination have were opened Thursday in the capital of the political capital of Burundi, in Gitega, with a mass celebrated at the church of the holy sacrament of Rukundo parish by the archbishop of the archdiocese of Gitega, Mgr Simon Ntamwana, in memory of these illustrious disappeared.
During that Mass celebrated in the presence of several personalities from the public sector including the Minister of Justice, Mrs. Jeanine Nibizi, the Governor of Gitega, Mr. Venant Manirambona.
Bishop Ntamwana deplored in his homily the assassination of President Ndadaye as well as the murderous fratricidal tragedy which plunged Burundians into tears and chaos. He invited the Burundians to transcend the wounds and misfortunes experienced following the violence perpetrated in the country to turn a new page in the history of Burundi, marked by the renunciation of all forms of violence, the love of others, the mutual forgiveness, understanding, social justice and peaceful cohabitation. He invited Burundians exiled abroad to return to the country and those who are inside the country to give them a warm welcome.
They were also marked by the retransmission of President Ndadaye’s speech during his inauguration, which advocated respect for democratic values. Among these values, President Ndadaye advocated, among other things, peace for all, respect for the rights of every human person, the unity of Burundians, active participation in work to increase production in all sectors of national life, the good management of the national heritage for the interest of all the Burundians.
The ceremonies were also marked by the processional march from the church of the holy sacrament parish of Rukundo to the monument of President Ndadaye. They then proceeded to deposit wreaths of flowers at the monument erected in downtown Gitega respectively by the Minister of Justice, followed by the provincial governor of Gitega and the administrator of Gitega commune, the representative of the antenna from the office of the ombudsman in Gitega, the representative of the family of President Ndadaye and the representatives of the approved political parties, namely the CNDD-FDD, FRODEBU, UPRONA, CNL, APDR, RANAC, FNL and CODEBU party.
In Rumonge province, the ceremonies marking that day began with a mass in his memory celebrated in Rumonge parish.
In his homily, the parish priest, Father Didier Ndayikeza, recalled that all the crises that have taken place in the past have taken the lives of innocent people. He called on the participants to be characterized by love, unity and sacrifice as the late Melchior Ndadaye did.
The ceremonies continued at the monument of national unity located in the headquarters of Rumonge province where the wreaths of flowers were laid by the governor of Rumonge province, the administrator of Rumonge commune as well as certain provincial officials of the political parties.
Before listening to the speech of the administrator of Rumonge commune and that of the governor of Rumonge province, the population first listened to the speech of the late President Melchior Ndadaye delivered during his inauguration.
The administrator of the commune of Rumonge in his welcome note invited the people to work hand in hand to develop their commune and above all to avoid the spread of hate messages.
The provincial governor called on the people to go about development activities while thanking those who continue to sacrifice themselves so that the construction work of the provincial office can move forward. He asked the administrators to use the example given by President Melchior Ndadaye who sacrificed himself for the benefit of the entire population.
In Karusi province, during the commemoration ceremonies for the 28th anniversary of the assassination of the hero of democracy, Melchior Ndadaye, the provincial governor, Mrs. Calinie Mbarushimana, recommended to the people of Karusi the love of their neighbor, the recognition of guilt, asking for forgiveness and forgiveness so that bad memories give way to firm commitment to development, she said so.
After the Mass in his memory, the population, mostly students and officials, headed to the Independence and Unity Monument to follow the ceremonies.
Wreaths of flowers were laid successively by representatives of the administration, those of the defense and security forces, those of the CNDD-FDD, UPRONA and APDR political parties.
The full speech of the hero of democracy, Melchior Ndadaye, preceded that of the governor, Ms. Calinie Mbarushimana.
Farewell, the unhappy past that the people of Karusi went through after the assassination of Melchior Ndadaye, hello the manifest love of their neighbor, let us recognize our guilt and ask forgiveness in order to embrace a real development of the province, recommended the government.
In Muyinga province, the ceremonies marking the celebration of the 28th anniversary of the assassination of President Melchior Ndadaye took place in Giteranyi commune, 50 km from the headquarters of Muyinga province (north-eastern Burundi). They began with a thanksgiving mass in Giteranyi parish.
In his homily, the Vicar General of the Muyinga Diocese, Bishop Protais Nkurikiye, urged Christians to internalize the democratic culture as advocated by the late President Melchior Ndadaye. He called on administrative officials to be the first to establish democracy. After Mass, ceremonies continued at the Unity Monument. Provincial representatives of approved political parties, namely CNDD-FDD, UPRONA, Sahwanya FRODEBU, FRODEBU Nyakuri, CNL, administration and law enforcement, laid wreaths of flowers. Afterwards it was the opportunity to follow the inaugural speech of the victory of President Ndadaye in the general elections of June 1993.
The governor of Muyinga province, Jean Claude Barutwanayo, meanwhile, reconsidered the vision of President Ndadaye, the unifier. He indicated that Burundians are currently proud of the work of the hero of democracy and the added value is there, he said. Mr. Barutwanayo urged the people to work hard to develop the province. He further recommended assistance to devote itself to the development of Burundi.
In Bubanza province (north-west of Burundi), the inhabitants of all five communes met in the headquarters of the commune and Bubanza province. Eight approved political parties, namely Sahwanya FRODEBU, CNDD-FDD, UPRONA, CNL, APDR, PIEBU, RANAC and CODEBU, laid wreaths of flowers on the monument of the late President Melchior Ndadaye, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
In his speech, the governor of Bubanza province, Cleophas Nizigiyimana, after reviewing what Melchior Ndadaye was and his career, called on the inhabitants of this province to be good heirs of the hero of democracy by devoting himself self-development and development projects for the country as advocated by the late Ndadaye. He also asked them to always be ready to sacrifice themselves for their homeland and the well-being of their peers and to always serve as a good reference in their daily lives and each in his field.
Note that the festivities began with a prayer at the Christ the King Cathedral in Bubanza and that the flags of the services near the provincial capital were at half-mark.
In Cankuzo province, the ceremonies began with a requiem mass in his memory, during which the parish priest of Cankuzo parish, Abbot Athanase Nimbona, in his homily, announced that President Melchior Ndadaye gave himself body and soul to the freedom of all Burundians. He called on everyone to contribute to the development of the province through actions or ideas and through clear and constructive words. He also launched a vibrant appeal to the various politicians to collaborate for the development of the province. In addition, they must teach their activists non-violent words towards others. The ceremonies were chaired by the provincial governor, Boniface Banyiyezako, in the presence of the deputy elected in this constituency, the municipal administrators and the representatives of the political parties operating in the province, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
Governor Banyiyezako recalled that President Melchior Ndadaye has acquired democracy for the benefit of the people. He interpreted the inhabitants of this province to unite in their difference to safeguard this difficultly acquired democracy. To do this, he pointed out, it is enough to share everything under any circumstance. He added that this is the sign of love and mutual respect leading to the development of the province. He also called on them to join cooperative associations to achieve sustainable development.
However, according to the provincial governor, that development is impossible if health is not promoted, which is why he invited them not to relax to protect themselves against Covid-19 by observing the barrier measures such as they are prescribed by the ministry having public health in its attributions. Wreaths of flowers were laid respectively by the governor of the province and his wife, the administrator and the permanent advisor to the monument of the hero of democracy as well as the representatives of the political parties namely the CNDD-FDD, the Sahwanya FRODEBU, UPRONA, CODEBU, CNL, APDR.