BUJUMBURA February 1st (ABP) – The Minister of National Defense and Veterans Affairs, Mr. Alain Tribert Mutabazi, presented on Friday, January 28, 2022, in Bujumbura, the report on the major achievements made during the second quarter of the budget year 2021-2022, that is to say from October to December 2021, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
Mr. Mutabazi said that those satisfactory achievements were focused on the main objectives of the Ministry of National Defense and Veterans Affairs, namely the strengthening of good governance, the strengthening of the institutional capacities of the Ministry and the National Defense Force. du Burundi (FDNB), the strengthening of the operational capacities of the MDNAC and the FDNB as well as the improvement of the capacities of the MDNAC and the FDNB in terms of planning and accountability.
These quarterly achievements also relate to the improvement of capacities in terms of resource management and contribution to the development of the country, the improvement of the performance of the FDNB in the execution of its missions, the improvement of the well-being of the members of the FDNB and veterans, the improvement of gender mainstreaming within the FDNB, and finally, the improvement of capacities in terms of prevention and fight against terrorism and cyber-attack.
In the sector of defense, Mr. Mutabazi pointed out that the defense forces have been working day and night to ensure security on all the borders of our country. “The soldiers are always vigilant to track down any criminal who would try to disrupt the security of the country”, added the Minister in charge of National Defense, while pointing out that the soldiers have always been sensitized to scrupulously observe and respect the barrier measures. put in place against the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the aim of revitalizing and sustaining bilateral defense cooperation, the Minister of National Defense and Veterans Affairs indicated that he had received in audience various ambassadors accredited to Burundi, in this case the Ambassador of Arab Republic of Egypt, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation accompanied by the Vice-Admiral in charge of defense cooperation between Russia and the countries of East Africa.
Mr. Mutabazi did not forget to mention that he participated in the second edition of the Defense Fair (EDEX-2021) organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Defense and Military Production in Cairo.
As for the chapter on regional and international cooperation in defense matters, he indicated that a meeting of heads and directors of military intelligence of EAC member countries was held in Bujumbura, pointing out having participated in Arusha in Tanzania, in the 32nd meeting of the sector council on cooperation in the defense sector of the member countries of the EAC and at the 29th session of the Council of Defense and Security Ministers of the African Standby Force (EASF) which was held virtually, to name a few.
As for the challenges encountered during this quarter, the Minister in charge of National Defense cited in particular the insufficiency of financial means, the delay of these means which did not allow the timely execution of the planned activities as well as the equipment which need to be renewed.
Regarding future prospects, Mr. Mutabazi indicated that his ministry will continue to build the capacity of members of the MDNAC and the FDNB through training and the acquisition of the necessary equipment, and will continue to carry out development activities. from the country.
The Minister of National Defense and Veterans Affairs ended his presentation of major achievements by thanking all those who contributed, in one way or another, to the effective implementation of the actions that were planned during this second trimester. He took the opportunity to invite everyone, individually or collectively, to continue in the same vein for the effective success of the actions included in the 2021-2022 annual action plan for the following periods.