Burundi’s defence minister on Saturday said that no one could force the army to violate the constitution or the peace deal that ended a 12-year civil war, and called for politicians to respect both documents.

Major General Pontien Gaciyubwenge

Burundi has been rocked by protests against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s plan to seek a third term, a move opponents and the United States say violates the Arusha peace deal. The president’s supporters say the constitution does not bar him from running.

In carefully worded comments at a news conference, Defence Minister Major General Pontien Gaciyubwenge said: “There is no individual who will direct the army to go against the Arusha deal and the country’s constitution.” If this is true, then President Nkurunziza might have realized that the best thing for him to do is to drop the appetite for power.

Indeed, the Burundi President should give the Burundi people a chance   to nurture democracy and learn from his predecessors especially President Pierre Buyoya who irrespective of coups and other failures he voluntarily gave power back to the people of Burundi. What we can tell President Nkurunziza is that it’s never too late to mend.