The President of Burundi arrives in Gabon on a working visit.

Written by Mohamed Salem

The President of the Republic of Burundi and the President of the Union arrived AfricanEvariste Ndayishimiye, accompanied by the First Lady of Burundi, arrived in Libreville on May 2nd for a working visit. They were greeted upon disembarking from the plane by his Gabonese counterpart.

An exceptional atmosphere prevailed at Léon Mba International Airport in Libreville, where the Burundian community in Gabon, with broad participation from the Gabonese people, gave President Evariste Ndayishimiye a grand welcome.

Cooperation between Burundi and Gabon

Following this joyous reception at Léon Mba Airport, Brice Clouteire Oleji Nguema accompanied his counterpart, Evariste Ndayishimiye, to his residence, in a gesture reflecting the depth of the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

In a different context, Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye carried out a limited cabinet reshuffle, appointing three new ministers to the thirteen-member government, according to a presidential decree announced by the president's spokeswoman, Rosen Gilline Gatoni.

The reshuffle, as reported by the Burundian presidency on its website, included the appointment of Fidel Nkizabahize as Minister of Public Health, succeeding Ledwin Paradahana. Nkizabahize is a long-serving member of the ministry, having previously served as director of the National Integrated Food and Nutrition Program.

Ejide Nijimbere was also appointed Minister of Infrastructure, Social Housing, and Transport, succeeding Damien Niyonkuru. Nijimbere has extensive experience in this sector, having served as Undersecretary of the Ministry for several years prior to the beginning of this year.

In the media sector, the position of Minister of Communications and Media was returned to Evelyn Butwe, who was serving as Burundi’s ambassador to Zambia and had previously been a spokesperson for the Presidency.

The appointment of Butoy comes to fill the void left by the late minister Gabi Bojaga, who died in a car accident in the middle of last month.

Sending troops to Burundi

In another development, an African Union diplomat announced that the Union's Peace and Security Council had decided to send troops to Burundi tasked with protecting civilians, a move that will be presented to Bujumbura for approval, or, if not, will be approved by the Union's leaders, according to Agence France-Presse.

Bonaventure Kakpo Gbegde, a member of the regional office for Burundi and the Congo states in the AU’s Directorate of Peace and Security, said that “the Council has decided to send forces to protect civilians in Burundi.”.