Who knew donkeys could cause such furore?
The French Embassy in Burundi has come under fire for donating donkeys in one of the villages in the country.
The embassy had given 10 donkeys to villagers in Gitega province, as part of a project by a local NGO to help women and children transport products including water.
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However, they faced harsh criticism from the government for failing to follow ‘the technical procedure of the distribution of exotic animals.”
The country’s agriculture minister Deo Guide Rurema on Sunday called for the immediate withdrawal of the animals, which are not indigenous to Burundi.
A spokesman of the Senate president, Gabby Bugaga took to Twitter to complain about these donkeys, terming the whole project an “insult to the nation’.
“Let’s be honest the donkey is symbolic of a quality or a defect?” he tweeted to French Ambassador Laurent Delahousse, who had said all procedures in procuring the animals were observed.
“Sorry but the French embassy was not looking for the donkeys: we simply financed a project that was submitted to us by a Burundian NGO. It is not France that introduces the donkey to Burundi. To my knowledge, all procedures have been respected,” Delahousse had said.
The AFP reports that a European diplomat said Burundi was hitting back at France for criticising the May referendum that extended presidential terms that allowed President Pierre Nkurunziza to remain in power until 2034.
