- Title: Kenya-Burundi: Burundi Peace Talks Continue In Nairobi
- Date: 16th September 2000
- Summary: A summit aimed at consolidating a fragile peace accord in the tiny African nation of Burundi has ended in the Kenyan capital with no cease-fire accord but an appeal by mediators for all sides to cease hostilities. As Nelson Mandela and regional African leaders began arriving in Kenya tensions were running high in Bujumbura. Although mediator Nelson Mandela had persuaded most of Burundi's political parties to sign a peace deal in August, the two main armed Hutu rebel movements were not involved in negotiations before the current meeting. A communiqu issued after the meeting -- which included the presidents of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania -- called for all sides to sign a cease-fire within 30 days. "The summit further called on them to declare an immediate suspension of hostilities pending the conclusion of a cease-fire agreement," the communiqu said. Fighting in Burundi has actually intensified since the August accord was signed. Six civilians and two government soldiers died in all-night violence that hit Bujumbura and its outskirts on September 15/16 night. Reporters counted at least six bodies of civilians in four houses on the northern outskirts of Bujumbura, in the area of Kamenge, an historical Hutu stronghold in the Burundian capital. More then 200,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in a conflict that erupted when renegade Tutsi soldiers killed the country's first democratically elected Hutu president, Melchior Ndadaye, some seven years ago. International human rights groups accuse both sides of targeting civilians. Mandela had hoped on September 20 to bring the rebels into the peace process and persuade them to sign a cease-fire with the country's Tutsi-led army, but analysts had always said this would be difficult to achieve at this round of talks. The rebel groups CNDD-FDD and FNL insist they are political as well as military movements, and as such demand the right to negotiate their own political settlement with the government. CNDD-FDD is also demanding, among other things, the release of all political prisoners before it will enter direct talks with the government, much less agree to a cease-fire. Its leader, Jean-Bosco Ndayikengurukiye did not even attend the Nairobi meeting, instead sending a relatively low level delegation. Cossan Kabura, head of the [rebel] National Liberation Front (FNL) told his first-ever news conference the Burundi army needed to be dismantled. " We have the right to attack all positions of the army of Burundi. The army of Burundi must be dismantled and another to be created which will be composed by 85% Hutus, 14% Tutsis and 1% Twas. " The government, for its part, insists there can be no renegotiation of last month's accord.
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- Location: KENYA NAIROBI STATE HOUSE
- Reuters ID: LDL0012DUD2LJ
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
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