Please also read the CU note below the article. _____
Morning Star.png Burundi: Gun Battles with Security Forces Leave Nine Dead The Morning Star, London, 3 November 2015 Nine people in Burundi have been killed in gunfights with security forces since Saturday, a police spokesman said yesterday. Pierre Nkurikiye said two more bodies had been discovered in the capital Bujumbura on Monday. Military spokesman Colonel Gaspard Baratuza reported an attack against soldiers on patrol in the Kanyosha area late on Monday, although no-one was hurt. Earlier on Monday, President Pierre Nkurunziza gave civilians five days to surrender any illegal weapons or face tough action by the police, who he said should use all means necessary to stop the bloodshed. Riots by opposition supporters that started in April and an unsuccessful coup attempt by sections of the army against Mr Nkurunziza in May have left more than 130 people dead and [allegedly] driven more than 200,000 refugees from the country. Nevertheless, the president, who first took office in 2005 following a bloody civil war, was overwhelmingly re-elected to a third term in July. From: http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-bcaf-Gun-battles-with-security-forces-l eave-nine-dead#.VjmDVbcrK00 The CU adds: The USA is attempting to destabilise Burundi. William Blum's Anti-Empire Report chronicles the US modus operandi, which is consistent with the appearance of armed terrorists in Burundi. This follows upon "colour revolution"-style bogus agitations in that country, and NGO "aid-worker"-type hostile reporting. (New posts from Blum will follow shortly on this forum.) AGOA blackmail The latest US move in Burundi is to "remove eligibility as a beneficiary under the US African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), with effect from January 1, 2016. <http://www.tax-news.com/news/US_Ejects_Burundi_From_AGOA____69586.html> " Burundi's exports to the USA "are valued at only about $4.4 million <http://www.frostillustrated.com/2015/obama-tightens-sanctions-on-burundi-ov er-grave-abuses/> ", so they are removing a benefit that was never there. The AGOA action has wider significance, however. AGOA was set up as a loaded weapon ready to fire, if there is not "continual progress" in terms of conforming to diktats from the United States. This may be the first time the AGOA weapon has actually been fired. The action creates a blackmailing threat to other "beneficiaries" of AGOA, including South Africa. Way Forward Conversely, the US action creates an additional incentive to countries to seek equal and not unequal terms of trade with overseas partners, such as we have with BRICS, for example. It is a great shame that the small country of Burundi is being victimised and set up as a new Syria in the middle of Africa. Burundi achieved peace in the early 2000s, under the leadership of President Pierre Nkurunziza, after many years of previous neo-colonial wars, and this peace has been well sustained up to now. The US bully has targeted Burundi for victimisation, as a prelude to destabilisation of other African countries. Anti-Imperialists should rally to the support of the Burundi government. Burundi must not be betrayed, as Libya was betrayed, by the naive mistakes of its friends. VC -- -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "YCLSA Discussion Forum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
