BURUNDI: CHANGES IN PRESIDENT'S SENIOR STAFF

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUJUMBURA 000413

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/C

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR BY
SUBJECT: BURUNDI: CHANGES IN PRESIDENT'S SENIOR STAFF

REF: BUJUMBURA 025

Classified By: Ambassador Patricia Moller for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (U) Burundi's President Nkurunziza announced on May 31
changes in his two most senior staff positions. The new
Chief of Cabinet, Melchior Wagara, replaces Martin
Mbazumutima. The new Deputy Chief of Cabinet, Jean-Bosco
Ndikumana, replaces Melchiade Nzopfabarushe, who left the
position more than a month earlier to become Vice-President
of Burundi's Anti-Corruption Brigade.


New Chief of Cabinet
--------------


2. (SBU) New Chief of Cabinet Wagara's first position with
the Government of Burundi (GOB) was with the National
Social Security Institute (INSS) in 1994. He was removed
from his position in 1995, upon accusations of
embezzlement. Following his removal, Wagara became
actively involved in the crisis gripping the country, when
he "entered the bush" and joined the CNDD-FDD rebel
movement.


3. (SBU) Wagara's most recent appointment with the GOB was
as General Director of COTEBU, Burundi's government-owned
textile company, after the CNDD-FDD's victory in the 2005
elections. His tenure there (2005-early 2006) was marked
by a series of general strikes, where company employees
accused him of corruption and embezzlement. He was
eventually removed from his position by the Minister of
Commerce (Madame Denise Sinankwa, currently the Minister
of Finance).


New Deputy Chief of Cabinet
--------------


4. (SBU) Jean-Bosco Ndikumana, the new Deputy Chief of
Cabinet, most recently served in the GOB as the National
Prosecutor. Ndikumana unsuccessfully prosecuted the GOB's
case against seven individuals, including former President
Domitien Ndayizeye and former Vice-President Alphonse
Kadege, who were alleged to have threatened state security
by plotting to overthrow the government (Reftel).


5. (C) Comment. Considering the new Chief of Cabinet's
checkered background, it is unclear why the President chose
him for such a high-profile, and important, position. One
Burundian observer suggested that President Nkurunziza's
widely noted loyalty to former compatriots from his rebel
years in the bush may partially explain his choice of
Wagara as new Chief of Cabinet. He commented further that
the Deputy Chief of Cabinet is, however, a position where
"one hasn't the authority to cause much damage." Perhaps,
as this observer suggested, Ndikumana's new position could
be interpreted as a demotion, following the government's
flawed coup plotter trial (Reftel),where he can "do no
further harm." End Comment.

MOLLER