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Burundi: Peace Steps
Burundi: Peace Steps
Date distributed (ymd): 010726
Document reposted by APIC
Africa Policy Electronic Distribution List: an information
service provided by AFRICA ACTION (incorporating the Africa
Policy Information Center, The Africa Fund, and the American
Committee on Africa). Find more information for action for
Africa at http://www.africapolicy.org
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Region: Central Africa
Issue Areas: +political/rights+ +security/peace+
SUMMARY CONTENTS:
This posting contains the most recent updates from the UN's
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) on the evolving
peace process in Burundi. After much delay and with much pressure
from mediator Nelson Mandela, key internal parties meeting at a
summit in Arusha, Tanzania with regional powers have agreed on a
transition process to implement last year's Arusha Accord. This
week a distinct set of talks is continuing in Pretoria bringing
together representatives of armed rebel groups with Burundi
government representatives. Nelson Mandela, not participating in
the talks due to the beginning of his treatment for prostate
cancer, is represented by South Africa's Deputy President Jacob
Zuma.
According to the plan, the transition government is to be installed
on November 1. The accord is certain to be fragile, particularly if
no ceasefire is negotiated with the armed rebel groups.
Implementation will also require strong international support.
Peacekeepers have been promised from Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and
South Africa, with Belgium making a commitment to logistical
support.
For an earlier perspective on the Arusha peace process and the
necessity of supplementary talks, see the International Crisis
Group's statement of May 2001, at:
http://www.crisisweb.org/projects/showreport.cfm?reportid=353
Additional news and background articles from IRIN can be found at:
http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/archive/burundi.phtml
For current news see
http://allafrica.com/burundi
+++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
BURUNDI: Council welcomes agreement on transitional leadership
NAIROBI, 26 July (IRIN) - Members of the UN Security Council on
Wednesday welcomed the announcement of an agreement on the
transitional leadership in Burundi, which calls for the current
president and a Hutu leader to each serve 18 months as the head
of a three-year transitional government.
"Members of the Council hoped that all parties in Burundi will
support this government and set the transitional government as
scheduled," the Council President, Ambassador Wang Yingfan of
China, said in a press statement.
The statement followed a closed-door session during which the
Council was briefed on the situation in Burundi by UN
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast.
The statement strongly urged the armed groups to cease
hostilities immediately and join the peace process already
underway and asked the international community to continue to
provide assistance to the transitional government once it was set
up. Council members also expressed their support for the efforts
by the facilitator of the Burundi peace talks, Nelson Mandela,
and the leaders of the Great Lakes region.
BURUNDI: Mediators to meet rebels on Thursday
NAIROBI, 25 July (IRIN) - Burundi peace mediator Nelson Mandela
and South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma are due to meet
Burundian rebel groups in Pretoria on Thursday, the South African
news agency SAPA reported. It said they would discuss decisions
taken at Monday's regional summit meeting in Arusha, Tanzania,
with the Forces pour la defense de la democratie (FDD) and the
Forces nationales de liberation (FNL). Burundi President Pierre
Buyoya - who will lead the first half of the three-year
transition period - and Gabonese leader Omar Bongo will also
attend the meeting, according to Zuma's spokeswoman Lakela
Kaunda.
[Later news indicated that Nelson Mandela was unable to attend.]
BURUNDI: IRIN Update on coup attempt/transition accord
24 July 2001
[IRIN-CEA: Tel: +254 2 622147 Fax: +254 2 622129
e-mail: irin-cea@ocha.unon.org ]
[This item is delivered in the "africa-english" service of the
UN's IRIN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily
reflect the views of the United Nations. For further information,
free subscriptions, or to change your keywords, contact e-mail:
irin@ocha.unon.org or Web: http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN . If you
re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this
credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial sites requires
written IRIN permission.]
CONTENTS:
Region threatens sanctions if Buyoya violates conditions
Foreign peacekeepers to supervise ceasefire
Reactions to transition agreement
Transition accord a "facade"
Bujumbura calm after coup, Buyoya returns
Defence minister blames politicians
Region threatens sanctions if Buyoya violates conditions
Regional leaders on Monday endorsed President Pierre Buyoya's
appointment as the first leader of Burundi's transitional period
but threatened sanctions if he violated a set of agreed
conditions, the Hirondelle news agency reported. "In the event
that the president of the transitional government fails to fulfil
the conditionalities agreed to, the regional leaders will take
all necessary measures, including sanctions to ensure
compliance," a communique issued by the regional summit in
Arusha, Tanzania, said. "The region will also approach the United
Nations Security Council and the international community at large
to support the above measures."
Buyoya, a Tutsi, will lead the first half of the three-year
transition, which begins on 1 November, with Domitien Ndayizeye,
a Hutu who is secretary-general of the main opposition party
FRODEBU, as his vice-president. The transition government is to
include other signatories to the Arusha peace accord, signed last
August.
The communique stated that Buyoya agreed to undertake commitments
to ensure full implementation of the Arusha peace accord,
including army reform, inviting international peacekeepers,
offering protection to returning exiles and relinquishing power
at the end of the 18 month period.
Foreign peacekeepers to supervise ceasefire
The summit communique also noted that Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and
South Africa had agreed to contribute troops to a peacekeeping
force for Burundi, and that Belgium had offered logistical
support. It said their mandate would be to ensure respect for the
ceasefire, supervise the integration of the army, provide
technical support for demobilisation and training, ensure
protection for institutions and public figures, and assist in the
"establishment and training of an ethnically-balanced special
unit for the protection of the institutions".
According to the communique, the peacekeepers would be deployed
"while efforts are underway to get the United Nations Security
Council to mandate the deployment of a United Nations
peacekeeping force" as envisaged in the Arusha peace accord.
However, no figure was mentioned for the number of peacekeepers
required.
Reactions to transition agreement
Domitien Ndayizeye, who will become Burundi's new vice-president,
on Monday voiced satisfaction with the peace process. In an
interview with Burundi radio, he denied suggestions that the
transitional government would fail considering there was no
ceasefire agreement yet. "You are aware of the fact that the
forthcoming institutions will be shared by all the signatories,"
he said. "That means we will be strong enough to hold discussions
with the rebels who did not sign the agreement." He stressed the
new government was determined to hold talks with the rebel
groups. "We hope they will understand we will not allow the
country to go backwards," he added.
In other reactions to the Arusha summit, FRODEBU's exiled leader
Jean Minani said his movement could not oppose an international
decision. "We are going to continue negotiating until we bring
peace back," he told the Hirondelle news agency. But the rebel
CNDD faction, led by Leonard Nyangoma, said the sides in Arusha
had "just re-confirmed the partnership between [the ruling party]
UPRONA, FRODEBU and the army". Nyangoma described the move as a
"fatal blow" to the peace agreement.
The opposition Tutsi parties also condemned the endorsement of
Buyoya as president. Their spokesman, Alphonse Rugambarara of the
INKINZO party, described Buyoya as a "very dangerous president",
and said they would continue to work within the framework of the
Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) for full implementation
of the peace accord, particularly political freedom. "For 18
months, not being in the government is not very important,"
Rugambarara told Hirondelle. "Eighteen months goes very fast. But
at least we will be in an institution [the IMC] which will allow
us to continue demanding our rights and freedoms."
A UN spokesman in New York said the Burundi peace process seemed
to have "advanced another step" with the endorsement of Buyoya as
president and Ndayizeye as his deputy.
Transition accord a "facade"
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), many analysts
believe however that the "sudden willingness to compromise" is
just a facade. "This is a hard war to bring to an end," the EIU
said. "It does not have a front line or two well-defined opposing
groups. It is full of paradoxes and crossovers." It said neither
side could win. "The whole region seems set for a war of
attrition between the beleaguered but well-armed Tutsis in power
and the more numerous and resentful Hutus," the EIU stated.
"The new accord, negotiated by [peace mediator] Mr Mandela, has
the same shortcomings as all the other failed agreements. First,
only unarmed parties have signed. The accord excludes the
country's two armed rebel Hutu groups: the Forces for National
Liberation (FNL) and the Forces for the Defence of Democracy,"
the EIU added. "President Buyoya is not known for compromise
either. This agreement leaves him in power for the moment and
gives him a smooth, face-saving exit."
The EIU also said the agreement failed to take account of
Burundi's neighbours - Rwanda, Tanzania and the DRC. "Small and
landlocked, Burundi depends heavily on them, but its civil war
has extended into their territory and politics," it noted.
Bujumbura calm after coup, Buyoya returns
The Burundi capital Bujumbura was reported calm on Tuesday
following a failed coup attempt on Sunday night. President Pierre
Buyoya, who returned to the country on Monday after the Arusha
summit, commented that coup attempts "never lead anywhere". "In
all countries all over the world whenever there are imminent
changes, as it is now here, some people want to lag behind and
they don't understand," he said, according to Burundi radio. On
the transition, Buyoya reiterated that it would begin on 1
November although he would like to see it established "as soon as
possible". The outstanding issue now, he said, was that of a
ceasefire. The South African deputy president would be continuing
attempts to talk to the armed rebel groups and mediate between
them and the government.
Defence minister blames politicians
Defence Minister Cyrille Ndayirukiye on Monday announced that the
situation was normal and the coup had failed. Speaking over
Burundi radio, he said loyalist soldiers were in control of the
situation. According to the radio, the rebel soldiers - who fled
north from Bujumbura - had surrendered to the authorities in the
northern province of Ngozi and five officers taken hostage by the
renegades had been released. The minister said 60 soldiers - or
two platoons - were involved in the coup attempt. "They left
their duties which were to provide security in Bujumbura town,"
he said. They then tried to disrupt the flow of traffic in the
city and attempted to free inmates from Bujumbura's Mpimba
prison, as well as "provoking" their superiors. Ndayirukiye
confirmed that the commander of Bujumbura district was wounded,
although his life was not in danger.
"I believe that what happened resembles what happened on 18 April
[date of this year's previous coup attempt]," the defence
minister stated. "At that time, there was a peace process under
way in Arusha, just like now. Like last time, it seems some
soldiers are involved in the event unwillingly while others seem
to be working for others, not for themselves."
He named one of the coup leaders as Lieutenant Kamenyero, saying
that he already been arrested. According to Ndayirukiye, there
are "many problems" in the army. "Hutus and Tutsis are only after
posts and competition without caring about security," he said.
"That is why it is difficult to satisfy all of them and that is
why the current war which started a long time ago has reached a
very difficult and crucial stage." He claimed that certain
politicians were trying to exploit this situation. "The root
cause is not the army but the politicians," he stated.
Nairobi, 24 July 2001
This material is being reposted for wider distribution by
Africa Action (incorporating the Africa Policy Information
Center, The Africa Fund, and the American Committee on Africa).
Africa Action's information services provide accessible
information and analysis in order to promote U.S. and
international policies toward Africa that advance economic,
political and social justice and the full spectrum of human
rights.
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