Political dynamics ahead of 2020 elections.
The government has launched talks with CNARED, a forum of opposition parties, to negotiate the return of its exiled leaders ahead of the 2020 presidential elections. President Pierre Nkurunziza, who has said he will not run for a fourth term, appears to be cautiously reaching out to the opposition in an effort to ease his regime’s diplomatic isolation and deepening economic crisis.
The 2020 elections will likely see continued heavy human rights violations and restrictions on the political space.
CNARED’s mooted return might increase tensions, rights violations and repression, especially once they try to campaign outside Bujumbura.
Burundi’s crisis weighs heavily on regional security, especially in Congo’s South Kivu Province; the elections might exacerbate this.
