The East African Community (EAC) bloc Chairman and Tanzania President John Magufuli yesterday received Burundian President’s Special Envoy, Reverien Ndikuriyo and held talks with him over the political impasse in the country.
Ndikuriyo who is also the Senate Speaker led President Pierre Nkurunzinza’s delegation in the talks held at the State House in Dar es Salaam.
According to a media statement availed to The Guardian yesterday by State House, the government in Burundi is ready for talks with all players regarding the political crisis and on possible actions to be made to address the problem.
In a statement quoting Foreign Affairs, Regional East African and International Cooperation Minister Dr Augustine Mahiga said Burundi had accepted ongoing dialogue led by the Ugandan President Yoweri Mseveni over the crisis.
He said Burundi was ready for peaceful talks.
“President Magufuli held talks with his Burundian counterpart President Nkurunziza and the later acknowledged readiness to participate in the peaceful dialogue,” Mahiga said in a statement.In additional he said, “I have been tasked to issue information across all foreign affairs ministers in the region over the discussion slated to start December 28, in Uganda. Uganda will be coordinating the meeting.”
During the meeting with the EAC chairman, Burundi expressed dismay over the decision by African Union to deploy peaceful troops in Burundi.
The envoy told President Magufuli the government was optimistic the political impasse in the region can be addressed through peaceful talks.
Burundian Parliament has so far discarded the decision by the AU Security Council, saying the situation has not reached a point of no return similar to the 1994 genocides in Rwanda.
The envoy told the president the situation was not so horrible, but there is fear that the AU and European Union are under the influence of the United Nations to deploy peace keeping forces.
“Burundi has 6,000 peace keepers in Somalia, 1,000 is Central Africa. It’s their interest to bring peace and will be the last to disturb and bring conflict similar to the killings of civilians in Kimbari,” the foreign affairs minister said.
Following the discussion, the President has urged Burundi to open doors for peaceful dialogue, and allowing members of the African Unity to deploy peaceful talks mission the country.
Magufuli has tasked Dr Mahiga to go to Burundi and find out why Burundians were fleeing their country. He said the tour to Burundi would be helpful in the peaceful dialogue slated for later this month in Uganda.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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