BUJUMBURA February 1st (ABP) – The Ministry of National Defense and Veterans Affairs (MDNAC) contributes not only to the defense of the national territory, but also to the strengthening of cohesion and civil-military cooperation as well as to the development of the country, through the rapprochement of the military to the population, it was noted on Friday January 28, 2022 during the presentation of the report on the major achievements for the second quarter of the 2021-2022 budget year.
Indeed, the responsible Minister, Mr. Alain Tribert Mutabazi, indicated that the senior executives of the MDNAC joined the population and the administration of the Rutana province in community development work where they participated in the construction of the new provincial office, adding that they assisted the orphans of the Iratabara orphanage of the same province by granting them food, soaps and other materials.
The soldiers actively participated in the fight against fraud and certain objects such as loincloths, bags of chemical fertilizers, plastic bags, etc., were seized and handed over to the Burundian Revenue Office (OBR), reported the Minister in charge of National Defense.
Environmental protection being one of MDNAC’s concerns within the framework of the national reforestation project “Ewe Burundi Urambaye”, Minister Mutabazi reported having planted trees of different categories throughout the country, in cooperation with the population. Trees have also been planted on the shores of Lake Tanganyika and on the banks of certain rivers. “We also maintained the trees already planted and replaced those that were damaged,” he reassured before indicating nurseries in different provinces have been set up.
In the field of agriculture, the MDNAC has already planted 13,328 coffee seedlings out of 75,000 that are planned to be planted in the military domain of Kayanza, said Mr. Mutabazi, adding that maintenance work on the coffee trees planted in Mutukura and in Rango were organized by his ministry.
In addition, with a view to facilitating the use of cultivable land by the population in their agricultural activities, the Engineering Works battalion of Muzinda carried out a test of irrigation works in Bugabira using an oil pump, from the waters of Lake Cohoha. Moreover, the same battalion is in the process of installing a sun pump to meet the cost of fuel, Minister Mutabazi reported.
In the field of breeding, the Minister in charge of National Defense indicated that an effort has been focused on obtaining cows of an improved breed. Thus, seven cows were bought and taken to the Mutukura barn, he said. For the extension of the Nyanza-Lac piggery, the construction of a second piggery with a capacity of 54 pigs was 100% completed. “50 piglets were donated to the ANADECO cooperative in the Kanyosha zone as part of the extension of the pig breeding project for the benefit of the community,” Minister Mutabazi said.
As for the false information that circulates mainly on social networks, reporting the presence of Burundian soldiers on the soil of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mr. Mutabazi took the opportunity to inform the public that the missions of the Defense Force of Burundi (FDNB) are defined and described in an organic law which governs the FDNB. “The Burundian army and the Congolese army have good cooperation in the field of defense, which means that the Burundian military cannot be present on Congolese soil without there being consent between the two countries” he underlined, before recalling that the role of the Burundian army is to protect the Burundians and to defend the territorial integrity of our country.
Regarding the information that has circulated lately, saying that there would be soldiers who died during training and training, the Minister of National Defense and Veterans Affairs first pointed out that the FDNB organizes each year at the Center Gitega Commando, so-called special formations in order to have a professional and modern army capable of fighting the enemy. With this in mind, he reported that five soldiers died due to health problems, adding that this is a professional accident and that this is not the first time such an incident has happened.
He took the opportunity to offer his condolences to the bereaved families but also to the family of the FDNB before congratulating the authorities of the FDNB who quickly met to find adequate solutions.