Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-05-22-Speech-4-229"
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"en.20080522.30.4-229"2
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"Mr President, just like Sudan, which we were discussing earlier this afternoon, Burundi is an ethnically divided land, with long-standing disharmony between the various population groups.
The resulting problems are much harder to solve in Burundi than in other African countries. It is difficult to draw a geographical border between areas that are typically the territory of different ethnic groups. It is more akin to the caste system that traditionally existed in India. Even before the German and Belgian colonisation, the Hutus were in the majority in Burundi and Rwanda and the Tutsis were in the minority. The Tutsis, who are also recognisably different in appearance from the Hutus, were the rulers. The Hutus were under their control.
In the European colonial period attempts were made to change that situation, but not with a view to equality and equal rights for the Hutus. At the time the main aim was to play the two ethnic groups off against each other in order to make the Dutch or Belgian administration stronger. Even after independence, a lasting solution was never found to the old differences. Burundi was spared the massive campaign by the Hutu majority in neighbouring Rwanda to the north to wipe out the troublesome Tutsi minority. However, that might also be due to the fact that emancipation amongst the Hutus was less widespread
When we speak in the resolution about 14 years of civil war, peace negotiations, the opposition movement FNL, the disarming of rebels and the fighting that broke out again on 17 April, we have to be aware of the background and the unresolved problems. The main purpose of the resolution is that the violence should stop and that agreement must be reached. I agree with that, but on that point in particular I see little cause for optimism. The resolution also calls for European support for democratic government, education and health care. We can contribute to that ourselves."@en1
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