The party has undergone internal turbulances for almost a year. It split itself into two wings, one instrumentalized by the government to fragilize it ahead of the coming election, according to experts.
On Thursday July the 27th,2023 parliamentarians of the leading opposition party CNL didn’t make a press briefing until after two hours as the police upheld the conference.
They were reported to have been sent by the commissioner of Ntahangwa who ordered the suspension of the press conference.
The activities planned to take place at the headquarters of the National Congress for Liberty CNL which is located at Mutanga Sud, Gihosha district in Ntahangwa Commune were interrupted after the police arrival while the journalists and CNL MPs had entered.
The police started pouring on the ground one by one and later on the number increased.
By that time, Agathon Rwasa, a leader of CNL along with the Secretary General Simon Bizimungu hadn’t yet arrived. Only 9 members of parliament including the leader of CNL in Bujumbura city GIKIKI Pascal were already present.
Witnesses reported that as they were about to begin, they suddenly saw the big number of police agents stopping them. Some were denied neither getting out nor to getting in for those who were still outside.
Even though they were eventually allowed to proceed with their planned activities, as one witness reported, those members of parliament representing CNL in the general assembly showed their disappointment vis-à-vis police behavior to temporarily halt the parliamentarians elected by the citizens and legally known by the government.
This comes after the long-standing imbroglio among the CNL administration.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, Security and Development had announced the suspension of activities of the party due to the disorder and misunderstanding within the members of the executive committee of the party a few months ago.
This resulted in the dismissal of members of the executive committee to the point that Agathon Rwasa was also declared ousted from the party by some of the executive members of the party.
Rwasa, 59, has accused the ruling party of interference’
On July 13, 2023 during a public conference of spokespeople held in Muramvya province, the spokesman of the Home Affairs Ministry, Pierre Nkurikiye said that they are waiting for the decision agreed by both rival sides to be undertaken based on the CNL policies endorsed in 2019.
The Nation Congress for Liberty CNL is the main leading political party in opposition ruled by a former rebel Agathon Rwasa.
In February 2019, CNL was legally allowed to run its activities before the general presidential elections.
So far it has 32 parliamentarians out of 171 and one representative in the Burundi senate.
