Editor, RE: “Burundi’s breach of EAC free trade regime will hurt own economy, says trade minister” (The New Times, August 3). Just the other day in Cibitoke Province (Burundi), entire boxes of produce—tomatoes destined for Rwanda—had to be thrown away by irate peasants because the produce had gone bad. They had withheld it a little longer in the faint hope that the authorities would come to their senses in vain. See agricultural produce from Burundi fetch lots of francs in Rwanda! The decisions these guys make are truly jaw dropping in their spectacular foot-in-the-mouth nature. Akright **************************** This so-called government is still stuck in the old Africa: playing ethnicity card, living in this little world called our Burundi and feel so comfortable about it, having fear or incompetence to expand, to open their borders and go beyond their comfort zone, blaming others for their own mistakes, not speaking the truth, always having chip on its shoulder, without mentioning the unrest and the abuses of human rights going on there. The EAC should denounce this act of breaching two of its protocols—customs union and free market. It is not up to Rwanda to go and complain as this is for the good of the whole EAC. Dieudonne
