EU too soft on Burundi

The country is ruled by an unlawful president who ignores national and international laws, sacrifices the people’s integrity for his retention of power and rejects any foreign interference in the troubled domestic affairs of his country. In other words, Pierre Nkurunziza refuses to play by the rules. Some of those rules should be essential for receiving official development assistance (ODA).

But instead of cutting off the money, the EU foreign ministers opted for a warning: at their meeting in Brussels, they said they are prepared (!) to increase economic sanctions on Burundi. “The EU will adopt the appropriate measures necessary in view of the lack of positive signals,” their statement points out. However it neither indicates details concerning the measures envisaged, nor does it elaborate under which circumstances the EU will impose them.

What are the ministers waiting for? How bad does the situation have to become before they are willing to act? The country is on the brink of civil war. Hundreds of innocent people have been killed since Nkurunziza’s unconstitutional decision last April to stand for a third term in office. Formal talks between the EU and Burundi in Brussels in December failed to bring about any progress – let alone a solution. The African Union wanted to send peacekeepers, but Nkurunziza rejected the idea bluntly. He said he would treat such a mission as an invasion.

A military intervention must always be the last resort, but cutting off the flow of funds can be a powerful and non-violent measure. The EU is in a strong position to play this card – it is Burundi’s biggest donor. From 2014 to 2020, some € 430 million are earmarked for Burundi. Nota bene: Brussels never planned to suspend all funding. Humanitarian aid that is channelled directly to the Burundi people was never in doubt.

Many observers have long – and ever more desperately – called for Europe to act. But all the EU did so far, apart from warnings, appeals and wringing of hands, none of which impressed the autocrat – was to impose travel bans and asset freezes on four officials close to Nkurunziza. That’s definitely too little. Monday’s decision is truly disappointing.