PREVIEW
In the eye of the storm, Bujumbura picks Washington veteran spin doctors
President Évariste Ndayishimiye is increasingly jittery about the proximity of Rwandan troops to the Burundian border as well as the humanitarian costs caused by M23’s expansion in South Kivu (AC Vol 66 No 25, Profile: Ndayishimiye – dragged to the frontline). Several hundred thousand refugees have crossed the border from eastern Congo-Kinshasa to Burundi in the past few months (AC Vol 67 No 1, War and refugees give Ndayishimiye the jitters).
His government in Bujumbura has hired veteran K-Street lobbyist Karl Marx von Batten to push its case with the Trump administration. The contract filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act is focused on promoting Burundi’s ‘national security, regional stabilization, diplomatic engagement, and long-term economic development objectives,’ reflecting Ndayishimiye’s concerns.
It adds that Burundi ‘seeks to preserve the integrity of the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity and to align its regional role with the strategic, security, and economic interests of the United States.’
Though Ndayishimiye was present at the signing ceremony of the peace agreement between Congo-K and Rwanda in early December, Burundian officials know that they lack the leverage of their neighbours.
The contract includes a reference to ‘strategic and critical minerals, infrastructure security, and regional supply-chain resilience’ a nod to one of the Trump administration’s priorities in the region.
Von Batten-Montague-York says that it is taking on the work at a peppercorn retainer of $10,000 per month which, the contract states, is ‘substantially below market rates for comparable services.’ It says that it wants to assist ‘under-resourced and politically marginalized sovereign states.’
Last week, during a three-day visit to the region, including the Busuma refugee camp in Burundi which currently hosts more than 65,000 people, European Union Commissioner Hadja Lahbib announced that the EU would provide more than €81.2 million in humanitarian aid to eastern Congo-K and Burundi.
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