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Burundi ordered the expulsion of the team of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) that supports the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, just days before the country’s elections.
The Foreign Ministry, in a letter to WHO headquarters in Africa and seen by AFP on Wednesday, said that the representative of the UN agency in Burundi and his three colleagues “are declared persona non grata and, as such, they must leave the territory of Burundi “before Friday.
The directive, dated May 12, expels the top WHO official in Burundi, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo; the country’s coronavirus coordinator, Dr. Jean Pierre Mulunda Nkata; head of communicable diseases, Dr. Ruhana Mirindi Bisimwa, and a testing laboratory expert for Covid-19, Prof Daniel Tarzy.
“Late in the afternoon yesterday, I was notified by a note verbale about this decision by the Burundian government, which asked our WHO representative and three other people, one of whom is a consultant … to leave the country immediately “said WHO director for Africa Dr. Matshidiso Moeti said Thursday.
“We are in communication with the Burundian government to clarify and understand the reasoning behind this decision they have made. Meanwhile, we are working to organize the departure of our staff. “
The letter does not provide a reason for the decision. Diplomatic and administrative sources said the Foreign Ministry aborted a similar attempt to expel the same four officials a month ago.
“They are expelled and the health minister has totally excluded the WHO, accusing him of unacceptable interference in his handling of the coronavirus,” said a Burundi official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Africa described the move as “unfortunate” at a time when more cooperation was needed to fight the virus on the continent.
“We are in great need of technical expertise as a continent, which has a very weak health system and a fragile infrastructure, where we cannot afford to kick out WHO,” said its director, John Nkengasong.
Meanwhile, the UN commission of inquiry into Burundi, tasked by the Human Rights Council with investigating alleged violations and abuses in the country since 2015, said in a statement that it “deeply regretted” the decision.
The announcement comes a few days before Burundians go to the polls on May 20 to choose a new president, parliamentarians and local officials.
The country has officially registered 27 cases and one death from the coronavirus.
But he has taken few precautions against the disease and the rate of testing is low, fueling concern that the true extent of the outbreak is unknown.
An official from the health ministry, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that seven patients had gone to the hospital in an institution with symptoms such as respiratory distress and that they had not been examined and that “a full wing was dedicated to them in the military hospital” .
Meanwhile, a doctor, who was also seeking anonymity, reported six deaths from patients who “had all the symptoms of the coronavirus” last week.
A resident of Gitega, the capital, said that his neighbor, who had a fever and respiratory problems, was denied a test.
“This man was 65 years old and died at home last week,” he said.
The National Institute of Public Health, the only place where tests are done, has had six of its employees responsible for taking samples who become ill with the virus.
“Since then, all activity has been paralyzed, no tests can be carried out, it is a catastrophe,” confirmed an employee of the institute, on condition of anonymity.
Human rights groups say the government goes ahead with the vote regardless of cost, accusing the ruling party and its youth wing of crushing dissent and threatening those who take their own action against the coronavirus.
Large political protests have been held across the country, gathering tens of thousands of supporters in mass gatherings that have been banned in other parts of Africa and around the world.
Nkengasong warned that such congregations were an opportunity for the coronavirus to spread everywhere.
“We have seen that in countries where elections went ahead and were held, or where they allowed people to join a political rally, cases have increased,” he said.
Officials in Burundi have cited divine protection for the country’s apparently low infection rate and urged citizens to follow their daily lives without fear.
“Don’t be afraid. God loves Burundi and if there are people who tested positive, it is so that God can manifest his power in Burundi,” said General Evariste Ndayishimiye, the presidential candidate for the ruling CNDD-FDD party.
