Burundi
Still no peace agreement for Burundi

afrol News, 8 November - Burundi mediator and South African Vice-President, Jacob Zuma, today announced that the Burundi peace talks had ended without a ceasefire. Time had run out this night, and the government and Hutu rebels could not agree on "technical details." However, agreement had been "reached on a number of substantial issues."

The South Africa mediated Burundi talks held in Tanzania this night remained deadlocked. The Burundian transitional government had been negotiating a ceasefire with the Hutu rebel group Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD), and the deadline for the talks was at midnight local time.

FDD leader Pierre Nkurunziza had met with Burundi's transitional President Pierre Buyoya, but the two could not agree on the "motivations that led the various groups to take up arms" and "issues relating to the return to constitutional legitimacy." Both these points needed to be resolved before a ceasefire could be reached, the FDD leader insisted.

The two delegations however had negotiated the terms, implementation and monitoring of a ceasefire in the case that the underlying political issues were resolved. Also in these ceasefire negotiations, a long list of differences over technical issues remained as the talks were interrupted, according to a statement from mediator Zuma. Especially the issue of disarmament remained unresolved.

Even less fruitful was the participation of another Hutu rebel group, the Forces for National Liberation (FNL) led by Agathon Rwasa. Mr Rwasa had only sent his Vice President, Jean Bosco Sindayigaya, to meet with Mr Zuma. Mr Sindayigaya was not even given the authorisation to participate in the negotiations, only to present a list of FNL demands to the mediator, by which the government had to comply to enter into peace talks with the rebels.

The FLN in its ultimatum demanded the "disbanding" and "destruction of all the concentration camps" it claims are operated by the Tutsi-dominated government troops. Further, the government needed to "release of all political prisoners," destruct and disarm all the pro-government militias, suspend all criminal courts and officially recognise the FNL.

Mr Zuma today said that he is now to report to President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, who is chairing the Regional Initiative on Burundi. President Museveni was "due to call a regional summit to review progress made." All outstanding matters in the negotiations were to be "referred to the pending Summit for discussion and finalisation, with a view to concluding an agreement at the summit."

Meanwhile, the brutal nine-year civil war in Burundi is continuing without any reduction in force. An estimated 200,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed due to the fighting. The current offensives are mirrored by a great influx of new refugees to the country hosting the talks, Tanzania. Over 50,000 persons have fled the Burundi fighting only during the last two weeks.

A peace agreement had originally been reached between the main groups of the conflict in Arusha (also in Tanzania) in year 2000. There, a power sharing model between the Tutsi dominated political elite and the Hutu dominated rebel groups was reached, which included the establishment of a transitional government. According to the Arusha deal, President Buyoya is to step down and swap places with his Hutu Vice-President Domitién Ndayizeye on 1 May 2003.

Meanwhile, however, several militant groups did not agree to the Arusha peace terms. These groups have kept on fighting and have gained strength over the last year. Their main critique against the Arusha terms is that, while a political power sharing has been agreed upon, the Tutsi majority will still dominate the army. The Tutsis, frightened by the 1994 genocide on their kin in neighbouring Rwanda, are not prepared to give up this upper hand.

Sources: Based on SA govt., UN sources and afrol archives

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