A/HRC/33/37 not filed the necessary applications. Some radio stations have indeed been issued licences, but there are legitimate questions as to whether the outlets whose licences have been restored are indeed the same: their staffing, content and editorial views appear fundamentally changed. 86. As with the other violations recorded in the present report, the victims are not only those outside the Government. Even within government circles or the ruling party, there is no room for dissenting positions. 87. The atmosphere of repression has manifested itself in the Government’s harsh reaction to students scribbling on photographs of President Nkurunziza; hundreds of students were reportedly suspended in May 2016 and close to 60 were detained by the National Intelligence Service, while 16 schools in Bujumbura were occupied by the police (10 of which remained under police control for a prolonged period). 21 Discussions with the Minister of Education did not reassure the independent experts that the importance of the school system as an incubator of democratic values was understood. 88. I. There are worrying signs of a personality cult being built around the President. Economic and social rights 89. The civil war in Burundi has had a devastating effect on the economy and living standards. After the Arusha Agreement was signed, however, and especially after 2005, a return to peace and stability allowed for an economic growth of between 4 and 5 per cent, with corresponding improvements in the health and education sectors. 22 90. Reforms in the education sector have led to increases in primary school enrolment 23 and reforms in the health sector have led to improvements in access and in some basic health and life expectancy indicators.24 91. The political crisis, however, is reversing such progress. The climate of violence and repression has disrupted economic activity, leading to a 20 per cent decline in official revenues during the fiscal year 2015, to declining purchasing power and to disruptions given the suspension of aid to the official sector. Overall, the World Bank estimates that the economy contracted by 2.5 per cent in 2015.25 92. There is no sector of the economy that has not been affected by the crisis. The public sector provides jobs to 80 per cent of salaried employees in Burundi (a small percentage of the economically active population). 26 The economic crisis has not only led to limited recruitment in the public sector, but to the apparent politicization of hiring; the small number of posts available are allegedly reserved for members of the ruling party. 93. It is estimated that half of all young people in Burundi are unemployed. The majority of the demonstrators against a third presidential mandate were youths, and the high unemployment rate may provide a large source of recruitment for nascent rebel movements and the Imbonerakure. 21 22 23 24 25 26 See www.news24.com/Africa/News/burundi-school-kids-deface-portraits-to-defy-president20160620-4. See http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG?locations=BI. See http://allinschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/OOSC-2014-QW-Burundi-Primary-final.pdf. See www.who.int/bulletin/africanhealth2014/improving_access_to_health_care/en. See www.worldbank.org/en/country/burundi. See www.heritage.org/index/country/burundi. 15