Burundi

AU sends an observer to Burundi

After ten months of bloody conflict in Burundi, the African Union: The mediating South African President Zuma announced the new Initiative. Is the head of state, Nkurunziza also cooperate?

Mediation result announced in Burundi: delegation leader Zuma

100 human rights observers, as well as 100 military observers will kidney of the African Union in the crisis-torn Burundi. Details on the composition and the start of the Mission remained unclear. In addition, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni will lead a “comprehensive dialogue” between the government, the Opposition and representatives of civil society, informed the AU.

The head of the procuring AU Delegation, South African President Jacob Zuma, said before his departure from Bujumbara, the head of state, Pierre Nkurunziza, had given up his resistance against it. Ahead of intensive negotiations with the Union, and the United Nations were gone. The President of South Africa, Gabon, Mauritania, Senegal, and Ethiopia had struggled for two days with the Burundian leadership and the opposition groups to find a solution. The primary objective was to prevent further escalation. On Tuesday Nkurunziza, had declared in a conversation with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon for the first time its willingness to dialogue. He also promised at least 1200 political prisoners.

Since Nkurunziza announced in April of last year to apply, contrary to the provisions of the Constitution for a third term, has dropped the country into a deep crisis. Since then, more than 400 people were killed, the majority of them by security forces. Around a quarter of a million people have fled to neighbouring countries. Experts saw the East African country already on the brink of civil war.

A civil war, with around 300,000 dead was only passed in 2005.

SC/wl (APE, rtre, dpa, afpe)