‘PLOT’ TO SABOTAGE BURUNDI TALKS

Retired President Benjamin Mkapa, who is facilitating the Burundi peace talks, has been warned of pressure from some groups attempting to sabotage the process. 
By Zephania Ubwani
Arusha. Retired President Benjamin Mkapa, who is facilitating the Burundi peace talks, has been warned of pressure from some groups attempting to sabotage the process.
The talks were adjourned on Monday without reaching a consensus.
Representatives of nine political parties, which took part in last year’s elections, cautioned that Mr Mkapa could be misled by some groups supported mainly by Western countries to undermine the dialogue.
“As a matter of fact, those organisations have held meetings with those who are in support of the radical and violent Opposition with the aim of sabotaging efforts by the mediator to find a solution to the Burundi crisis,” they said in a statement addressed to Mr Mkapa.
The two-page letter signed by representatives of the nine parties represented at the four-day talks said some political groups in Burundi were against the involvement of the East African Community (EAC) in the mediation and had preferred the European Union (EU) and partly the African Union (AU) to have more say.
“They reacted negatively to the statement of the facilitator who indicated that Burundi problems will be addressed by the EAC”, said the statement The Citizen obtained at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC), the venue of the talks, which began on Saturday.
Representatives of the nine political parties hastened that the same groups, which favoured mediation by the EU, even lobbied the Opposition in Burundi to protest against the involvement of the EAC Secretary General Liberat Mfumukeko, who is a Burundi national.
“They suggested that the EU should take charge of the Burundi dialogue”, they said.
The parties which signed the document were Uprona, FNL, FNL Iragi Rya Gahutu Remi, Radebu, Frolina, MSP Inkino Y’Ijambo, PMP, PRP and Piebu.
They said they were against a coalition of opposition known as CNARED which, according to them, was behind the bloodshed, that has rocked the country since last year, and is backed by the western donor countries which have taken sides in the conflict. The nine parties said they appreciated the manner in which Mr Mkapa has conducted the dialogue “and we encourage you to continue in the same direction as advised by the Summit of the EAC Heads of State”.
Representatives of groups, which fall under the CNARED, rubbished the claims contained in the document, saying they were made by politicians who were siding with the government of President Pierre Nkurunziza whose legitimacy they questioned its. “These are the views of the government and not the political parties which are supposed to be neutral at least for now so that we can reach a peaceful solution”, lamented Leonard Nyangoma, the leader of CNDD, one of the leading opposition parties in Burundi which did not sign it.

CREDIT: THE CITIZEN