BUJUMBURA April 7th (ABP) – Burundi commemorated, on Wednesday April 6, the assassination of the late President Cyprien Ntaryamira which occurred in Rwanda on April 6, 1994 and the ceremonies took place in all the provinces of the country.
In the economic capital of Burundi, those ceremonies were honored with the presence of the President of the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye, accompanied by his Better Half.
They were also attended by the Prime Minister, the speakers of the Houses of Parliament, members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Burundi, representatives of political parties and religious denominations as well as the biological families of the victims.
They began with a Mass in memory of the late President Ntaryamira, celebrated at the Regina Mundi Cathedral in Bujumbura City by Mgr Anatole Ruberinyange.
In his homily, Bishop Ruberinyange invited Burundians to respect the legacy of the late President Cyprien Ntaryamira by caring about discipline in their daily lives.
He also asked the Christians present to be disciplined people who keep the word of God to live in the truth. He asked Burundians to be true witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ through peace, justice and love.
The ceremonies continued with the laying of wreaths by the presidential couple, followed by the diplomatic corps, the families of the disappeared and the political parties on the tombs located on the 1er Novembre Boulevard where the late Cyprien Ntaryamira and some of his collaborators rest.
The activities were closed by listening to the speech delivered by the late President Ntaryamira, a speech which focused on the restoration of discipline in all sectors of national life and respect for human rights in Burundi.
In Karusi province, a mass in his memory preceded the activities that took place at the monument of national unity. After the laying of wreaths successively by the representatives of the administration and the CNDD-FDD, APDR and CODEBU iragi rya Ndadaye parties, the participants in those ceremonies listened attentively to the speech of the late President Ntaryamira.
Interpreting that speech, the provincial governor, Mrs. Calinie Mbarushimana, insisted on the word discipline. According to her, the term implies respect, love, punctuality and attendance. Young people in particular are today called upon to think about the meaning of that word in order to revive good mores, she asked.
Mrs. Mbarushimana then spoke about life in the province. Security is quite good according to the governor. People peacefully goes about their daily work, but should they think about weeding beans and rice on the one hand and thinking about accompanying crops on the other hand. The maize harvest for season A is satisfactory but should we manage it well and only sell the surplus, she appealed.
In relation to development, the front page is the construction of the modern stadium which will, at all costs, host the Independence Day ceremonies on July 1st.
In Cibitoke province, the commemoration of the event took place at the headquarters of that province. There was a small participation of people compared to other events dedicated to the illustrious disappeared. The day’s ceremonies began with an interfaith prayer, followed by the laying of wreaths at the monument erected for that event.
Participants that a check by ABP interviewed, testify that they will always remember his advice and the discipline that the late President Ntaryamira never ceased to say.
In Rumonge, people also joined other Burundians in commemorating the assassination of President Cyprien Ntaryamira. The ceremonies began with an ecumenical mass in his memory celebrated at the parish of Rumonge, followed by a walk by the participants from the church to the monument of national unity located opposite the provincial office where the administrators and leaders of approved political parties as well as those of the defense and security corps in Rumonge laid wreaths of flowers.
In his speech, the governor of Rumonge province, Consolateur Nitunga, urged the administrators to rely on discipline, as the late President Ntaryamira said, in order to serve their constituents and facilitate businessmen who wish to invest in development projects in Rumonge province. He also invited them to sensitize the people on the protection of the environment by drawing contour lines on all the hills and especially on the mountains overlooking Lake Tanganyika which is of paramount importance in the life of the province. The purchasers of plots located in the headquarters of Rumonge province are called upon by the governor to construct modern buildings in order to have a clean city.
In Gitega province, people were not left out in the commemoration of the 28th of the demise of the President of the Republic, the late Ntaryamira, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
The ceremonies led by the provincial governor, Mr. Venant Manirambona, began with a Eucharistic celebration at the Saint Sacrament parish of Rukundo. They were attended by some State officials, authorities of the defense and security forces, rural people from the outskirts of the town of Gitega and a student community.
At the end of the mass, the ceremonies continued at the monument of national unity. Wreaths of flowers were successively laid there by the provincial authority, the communal administrator of Gitega, the representation of the CNDD-FDD party, that of the UPRONA, FRODEBU and APDR parties.
The special address was a speech delivered by the late President Ntaryamira on the occasion of his inauguration. The substance of that speech was, among other things, the appeal of Burundians to respect human dignity and safeguard national cohesion. To achieve this, he advocated the restoration of discipline in all components of national life, citing in particular the army, national education, the civil service, political parties and the administration. In that way, he concluded, we will have restored Burundi as a rule of law.
In Kayanza province, the ceremonies relating to the commemoration of the 28th anniversary of the passing of President Cyprien Ntaryamira began with a mass celebrated at the Catholic parish Christ-Roi located in the headquarters of that province. Under the auspices of the provincial governor’s chief of staff, Mr. Vianney Ndikumana, and in the presence of district officials, the ceremonies continued at the monument of the hero of democracy who was also from the Sahwanya Frodebu party. Seven wreaths were laid there respectively by the provincial and district administration of Kayanza, that of the defense and security corps, a wreath of flowers from the judiciary as well as those from political parties such as Sahwanya Frodebu, CNDD -FDD and UPRONA. The day’s ceremonies ended with listening to the speech delivered by the late President Ntaryamira through which he insisted on the promotion of discipline in all areas and respect for human rights.
In Bubanza province, the inhabitants of all five communes met at the provincial headquarters for that commemoration and the ceremonies were honored with the presence of the governor of Bubanza province, Mr. Cléophas Nizigiyimana.
Apart from the wreaths of the provincial and communal administrators, only four political parties, namely the CNDD-FDD, Sahwanya FRODEBU, CNL and APDR, laid theirs at the monument of President Cyprien Ntaryamira.
In his speech, Governor Nizigiyimana invited the inhabitants of that province to be good heirs of President Ntaryamira in the establishment of discipline in all sectors of life in that province. He also asked them to devote themselves to development, mutual respect and human rights, solidarity and mutual assistance, as well as the safeguarding of peace and security, major pillars of development.
The governor called on State officials to serve as a good reference in increasing agricultural production, with radiation fields.
Note that the ceremonies began with a mass celebrated at Christ-Roi Cathedral of Bubanza.
In Cankuzo province, the ceremonies began with a mass celebrated at the Cankuzo Catholic parish and continued in front of the office of that province with the laying of wreaths on the monument of national unity.
Provincial Governor Boniface Banyiyezako recalled that Burundians share the same country, Burundi. He asked people to forget the unpleasant moments experienced by the country, rather to remember the message left by the late President Ntaryamira.
According to him, as brothers and sisters, Burundians must be characterized by love and solidarity. He called on the people to promote the environment, agriculture and livestock for family and national development.