Burundian Diplomat Quits African Union Job After Calling Out Kenya Over Burundian Traders

Senior Burundian diplomat Ambassador Fred Gateretse Ngoga has resigned from the African Union Commission after 17 years of service, just a day after he questioned why Burundians were being targeted in Kenya.

Ngoga, who was Head of the Conflict Prevention and Early Warning Division at the AUC, announced his resignation on X, saying he was disillusioned with the continental body. "I have decided to resign from the African Union Commission after 17 years of service. I used to believe that some of us have a rendez-vous with history. Shall we meet again!" he wrote.

His resignation came a day after he posted on September 7 questioning why Burundian traders were being specifically targeted for eviction in Kenya while traders from other East African countries were operating freely. "Why are our Burundians being targeted in Kenya? You have other nationalities but why ours? Good night as we work to bring ours to safety," he had posted.

Ngoga said that even though Burundi has internal challenges, that should not be a reason to mistreat its citizens abroad. "Burundi might be facing internal challenges, but we shall never forget those who stood by us and those who threw us to the dogs. It might rain today, might get wet, but one day we shall be dry!" he added.

Interestingly, before resigning, Ngoga changed his tone and praised Kenya after President William Ruto announced a 90-day grace period for undocumented foreigners to regularise their papers. "Kenyans offering a blueprint on how to deal with illegal migration on the continent. Human and principled approach. Let us learn! Kenya thank you," he posted.

He later deleted his resignation post and had not made further communication by the time of publishing.

In his resignation message, Ngoga suggested the AUC had moved away from its founding ideals, though he did not mention any specific person or incident that pushed him to quit.

Ambassador Ngoga is a seasoned diplomat who previously served as a senior officer with AMISOM in Somalia, supporting counter-terrorism operations. He has also trained at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and other top security institutions.