As the US Ambassador to Burundi Melanie Harris Higgins bids farewell after finishing her tenure in Burundi, she commended Burundi government’s efforts towards good governance and Human Rights record.
While addressing the press after a courtesy call to Burundi’s Prime Minister on Tuesday July 4th 2023, Ambassador Higgins said that the relation between Burundi and the United States of America improved significantly during her tenure.
“Under the leadership of His Excellency President Evarist Ndayishimiye, Burundi has chosen a path of reforms among which include human rights, good governance, and many steps were obviously taken such as in the area of trafficking in persons,” she said.
According to the US ambassador, her country have collaborated with Burundi in different areas including the education sector, “a new school feeding program will start in the eastern province of Ruyigi in the month of September 2023,” said Ambassador Higgins.
“I look forward to having my successor continue to build on these relations”, said Ambassador Melanie Harris Higgins.
Ambassador Higgins started her mission in Burundi on March 2nd 2021 when the relations between the two countries had soared.
The United States imposed sanctions on Burundi government in a wake of the 2015 violent protests that led to more than 1000 people losing their lives.
According to Washington, the sanctions were imposed after reports of Human Rights violations in the country during the protest against former Burundi president Pierre Nkurunziza’s move to vie for a third term in the office.
After Evariste Ndayishimiye took over the office in 2020, relations between the US and other foreign countries improved that resulted to the lifting of the sanctions against some top government officials.
