Ensuring Protection-Oriented Security Sector Development:
Challenges, Improvements and Gaps
Donors, including the Dutch government, have provided substantial resources for reforming the
armed forces, judiciary and police force in Burundi. Although there is tangible improvement, especially
within the army, many civilians still suffer from inadequate protection by the security forces. This
causes fear and tension among women and men in both urban and rural areas.
This paper takes a closer look at security sector development (SSD) in Burundi. Its underlying
assumption is that current reform efforts should establish a basis for a security sector that adequately
addresses the security needs of its population—and thus is able to protect its people, men and
women. Current developments, challenges and gaps with regard to insecurity and SSD are identified in
order to put forward recommendations for strengthening the Dutch efforts. More particularly, the
paper seeks to highlight the views of local organizations and the Burundian population on security
issues and SSD. In so doing, it adds a civilian voice to the current debate on effective SSD in Burundi.
The recommendations are largely based on the experiences of ICCO and Oxfam Novib’s local partners
in Burundi which are working in the field of human rights, security and UN resolution 1325.
Furthermore, they reflect the opinions of both organisations after conferring with SSD experts,
consultants, policy makers, politicians, Burundian NGO’s and ordinary women and men.
Security problems and challenges
Over the past year, the general security situation in Burundi has considerably improved after the
integration of the last rebel group, FNL, into the political, administrative and security scene.
Nevertheless, widespread insecurity persists in the form of organised crime, robberies, looting,
arbitrary killings, violent settling of scores, sexual and gender based violence, torture, etcetera. These
are due to the violent conflict in Burundi’s recent past, the integration of former armed groups in the
police and the army, the proliferation of weapons, a flawed demobilisation and reintegration process,
general impunity, land scarcity and the impoverishment of the population.
Against this backdrop, the Burundian security sector, in particular the police, has proved incapable of
fulfilling its tasks. Even worse, it is often implicated in acts of crime. Of the 115 policemen in Pimba
prison in 2008, more than half were caught in acts of banditry. Although some slight improvements
can be noted with respect to investigating police crimes, human rights abuses, sexual violence,
corruption and looting by the security services remain largely unabated. Impunity reigns in the sector.
The leadership of the Police National Burundaise (PNB) is often seen as related to the ruling political
party.
In light of the upcoming elections, the risk of political violence is high and the role of a politically
neutral police is crucial to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. In a recent case, a member of an
opposition party was killed in Mpanda commune, Bubanza province, within a few meters of a police
station. While as of now it can not be proven that the assassination was politically motivated,
witnesses expressed concern that the nearby stationed policemen did not intervene.
Security Sector Development in Burundi: challenges, improvements and gaps.
A briefing note by ICCO and Oxfam Novib, January 2010
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Clashes between youth groups of different party affiliations have increasingly turned violent over the
past few weeks and spread fear among the local population.
A central challenge is how to address the insecurity of women. According to a recent study done by
International Alert (2009), while women view the general security situation as improved, they feel that
their own security has remained the same or declined. The main reason for this paradox is that the
origin of their insecurity is in the household. Indeed, one out of three women is a victim of sexual or
gender-based violence.
For any police force in the world, domestic violence is a major challenge because it occurs in private.
In Burundi, it is not only that police are not able to provide protection, but also that they often laugh
at women or ask for a bribe first. As a result, women are highly unlikely to turn to the police for help in
cases of domestic violence.
An accountable, transparent and professional security sector is a prerequisite for long-term security,
stability and development. Although a good start has been made in developing the sector over the
past two years, it now boils down to implementation. How can the good intentions of the Burundian
government and donors alike be translated into actions that make a real difference to Burundian
women and men in their daily lives?
Gaps and recommendations
Protection of civilians
Both men and women suffer from crime, killings, extortion and arbitrary arrests. However, the plight
of women is far worse. One out of three women suffer from one or other form of gender-based
violence, ranging from regular beating by their husbands to (gang) rape. Clearly, the police is not
capable of, or willing to, providing protection. Furthermore, both the police and justice sector have
proved ineffective in handling cases of sexual and gender-based violence. As a consequence, in most
cases perpetrators are not punished according to the law. The gender focal points which the police, in
collaboration with UNIFEM, have installed at many police posts are a good start. At this moment,
however, the population does not seem to be aware of them (despite several informative ‘open
days’). In addition, the personnel at these focal points need a lot of sustained training and support as
well as being well-linked to the justice system, where a similar auxiliary should be set up.
In essence, the protection of women should be at the heart of every effort in reforming the police. The
Burundian security leadership as well as donors should therefore change their priority-setting. Apart
from effectively mainstreaming the protection of women, the following measures should be taken:
 The Unité de Protection des Moeurs, des Mineurs et de Lutte contre les Violences basées aux Genre
with its gender focal points at the Inspectorate, should be better staffed, trained and equipped. In
coordination with the Burundian government and UNIFEM, the Netherlands could consider
providing more funds so that gender focal points can be installed in all police posts and that the
informative “open days” between the police and the community can be continued. Allocating a
special advisor to this unit could be considered as well.
Security Sector Development in Burundi: challenges, improvements and gaps.
A briefing note by ICCO and Oxfam Novib, January 2010
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Once these gender focal points are properly equipped and trained, they should be made known to
the wider public via a public information campaign. Donors should fund this campaign with
priority.
The Service de plainte et dénonciations at the Inspectorate should be established as soon as
possible; including a free telephone number that should be made widely known throughout the
population. As the necessary machines are available and parts of the 'badges' have been printed,
it is imperative that every policeman/woman wears a name tag before the start of the election
campaign period (end of March). Along the same line, policemen in the north and east of the
country do not wear a proper police uniform. This should be resolved immediately so that they
can be clearly identified as policemen (and women).
Gender mainstreaming in security organs
When talking about gender and SSD in Burundi, most actors think only of institutional mainstreaming.
Oxfam Novib and ICCO, however, are of the opinion that more attention should be given to the
effective protection of women by the security services. That said, we recognise that institutional
gender mainstreaming can be a factor in advancing women’s needs. The following measures should
therefore be taken:
 Focus on gender mainstreaming within all elements of SSD with a view of furthering the
implementation of UN resolution 1325. Make sure that gender is an integral part of all strategies,
training sessions, resource provision and capacity development.
 In line with UN Resolution 1325, the number of women in the PNB and the FDN should increase.
Even achieving the rather limited target of 10% of female personnel in the police department by
2017 will require significant efforts this year. The round of recruitments at the end of 2010 will
have to comprise 85% women or the target will not be met due to the concurrent size restrictions
imposed by the World Bank. The police should raise awareness via the media and at girl schools so
that women are well aware of this job opportunity.
 Make a mapping of women in the security sector in order to assess where they are and what their
potential is. Also, ensure that the working spaces of women and men are adapted to their specific
needs.
 Ensure the deployment of female personnel at decision-making posts in the security sector. This
would be in line with the Burundian constitution which requires that women occupy 30% of
decision-making posts. In addition, women should be given tasks that directly deal with women,
such as in the focal points on SGBV (explained above). In order to do so, it is also important to
focus on the education of women who are already in the police, so that they can be promoted.
Accountability and monitoring
In order to make sure that SSD efforts are people-centred, it is vital that the Burundian government
and donors involve the primary stakeholders of the security sector: citizens. While efforts are being
made to communicate with citizens—such as the 'open days' in some communities—intermediaries
such as parliament, senate, NGOs and civil society groups should be more systematically involved. To
do so, the following measures can be taken:
 Involve a wide range of actors at all stages, from planning to implementation to evaluation, at the
national as well as local level. At a policy-making level, civil society and NGOs should be consulted
more often, both by the Burundian government and donors.
Security Sector Development in Burundi: challenges, improvements and gaps.
A briefing note by ICCO and Oxfam Novib, January 2010
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The Groupe Sectoriel could, for example, be extended to include more NGOs. For good
accountability, it is essential that people are aware that the whole sector benefits from
collaboration between the different actors.
The meeting on 22 January 2010 at the Dutch consulate offered possibilities for enhanced
communication, as representatives of the Burundian government, the security sector, civil society
and international donors discussed current security issues and problems. These meetings should
be held every three months in order to become a platform for dialogue and accountability.
More transparency on policy intentions, results, expenses and challenges is needed. Similarly,
mutual trust and building confidentiality are essential elements, as well as sufficient human
resources, also for NGOs. At the Dutch level, a more pro-active communication towards
parliament can help guarantee long-term support for Dutch efforts in Burundi.
Genuine trust in the police force and army by the population will only grow over time. However,
the army has demonstrated that it can develop, in only a few years, from an institution the people
do not trust, into a trustworthy, stabilising institution. A prerequisite for this is that its
composition reflects the population in terms of ethnic, regional (and gender) balances, as well as
impeccable behaviour.
The 'comités de securité' have great potential as an interface between the security services,
authorities and people. However, they need a legal basis for this. For this, it is advisable that they
consult civil society organisations so that objectives and ways of working are genuinely shared.
Second, they need accompaniment, training and continued support in order to make sure that
they remain a genuine space for dialogue and do not become political instruments or instruments
to extract information from the population. Initiatives like the 'open meeting days' can be
organised more intensely by these committees.
Disarmament
The civilian disarmament initiative last year was a good start for reducing the enormous number of
arms owned by population. However, the period was extremely short. As there are still many
weapons floating around and the population seems to be quite willing to hand them in, we
recommend:
 That this period be extended, perhaps even before and after elections. Civil society organisations
and local authorities could do their part and focus on awareness-raising among the population.
Similarly, the communiqué circulated by the Minister of Public Security last year ordering the police
not to take their weapons home, is another positive sign. In reality however, the police still walk
around with their Kalashnikovs. A senior official stated: “How can they leave their weapons in a depot,
if the whole population is armed?”
 This vicious circle needs to be broken, and the police would give a good example if they were to
start.
 In this sense, the MAG project that provides for armories in every police post is an excellent start.
In addition to technical infrastructure, however, the highest authorities must abandon their
double standards. Instead, they ought to give an example by punishing police who unduly wander
around with weapons. Clear regulations and policies need to be in place on the use and storage of
weapons. Donors should provide proper training for this.
Security Sector Development in Burundi: challenges, improvements and gaps.
A briefing note by ICCO and Oxfam Novib, January 2010
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Coordination & Institutional alignment
Developing the Burundian security sector is both a political and technical process. Organisations and
countries such as BINUB, the UNDP, GTZ (Germany), DfiD (United Kingdom), Belgium and the
Netherlands are engaged in both bilateral and multilateral partnerships with the Burundian
government.
Some of these partners cooperate on specific elements of reform; the absence however of a
comprehensive national SSD framework makes coordination between all involved more difficult. To
improve and strengthen coordination between those involved, the groupe sectoriel de sécurité has
been established in which the Netherlands has taken a leading role. Although donor coordination has
improved, much is still to be done, such as:
 Establish an SSD-task force comprising the Burundian government, donors and civil society, with
the objective of avoiding gaps and overlaps. A national SSD framework should be first discussed in
this task force.
 Ensure that all elements of the Burundian security sector are addressed, including intelligence
reform, politicisation of security services, civilian supervisory mechanisms, etc.
 A better connection should be made between the reform in the security and judicial sector,
especially with a focus on the better protection of women.
Conclusion
The final objective of security sector development in Burundi - as stated by both the Burundian
government and donors – is a security sector that is fully capable of protecting Burundian civilians.
Although progress has been made on several issues, the reality on the ground demonstrates an
obvious lack of protection of the population, in particular of women. This lack of protection is
particularly worrisome in light of the upcoming elections during which police needs to be able to play
a stabilising role.
References
CIGI (2009), Security Sector Reform Monitor; Burundi
http://www.cigionline.org/sites/default/files/SSRM%20Burundi%20v1.pdf
Retrieved at the 12th of December 2009
Davis, L. (2009), Justice-Sensitive Security System Reform in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Initiative for
Peacebuilding: Brussels.
Mora, S. (2008), La Réforme du Secteur de Sécurité au Burundi: Coordination des acteurs internationaux, prise
en compte des besoins et des préoccupations des communautés au sein de leurs programmes et liens avec
d’autres processus clés associés à la réforme du secteur de la sécurité, Initiative for Peacebuilding: Brussels.
International Alert (2009), L’Intégration du genre dans la réforme de la Police Nationale et de la Justice
Burundaises, Pour restaurer la dignité des femmes. Christophe Sebundandi.
Security Sector Development in Burundi: challenges, improvements and gaps.
A briefing note by ICCO and Oxfam Novib, January 2010
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