A fresh shot at Burundi crisis

FORMER President Benjamin William Mkapa has just held talks with the President of Uganda, Mr Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, and the duo has decided to convene a followup dialogue on Burundi to be held next week.

Mr Mkapa is the facilitator to the Inter- Burundi Dialogue while President Museveni heads the process as the mediator. The forthcoming Burundi dialogues’ sessions, as agreed by the two leaders, has been planned to take place in Arusha from 27th November to 8th December, 2017.

This key dialogue session will provide an opportunity to all Barundians, at home and abroad, to engage with each other in frank and meaningful deliberations on the political, social and economic problems facing their country.

The negotiations are meant to solve conflicts that arose following the controversial 2015 Burundi presidential elections, in which the incumbent, Mr Pierre Nkurunziza, emerged the victor.A statement from the East African Community (EAC) secretariat explains that participants will reach a consensus on the way forward.

On the other hand, former President Mkapa, in his capacity as the facilitator, has assured all Barundians and other participants that he was going to provide an enabling environment and guidance as necessary.

The Inter-Burundi Dialogue is an EAC-led process under the mediation of President Museveni, a member of the EAC Heads of State Summit. The Summit appointed former Tanzanian President Mkapa to play the role of the facilitator, to support the mediator.

The venue for the eleven-day Inter-Burundi dialogue is yet to be confirmed but organisers say it will be either at the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) where past dialogues had been held or at the East African Community Headquarters.

The East African Community Secretariat implements Council and Summit directives, which means the EAC Secretary General, who is also the Secretary to the Summit of the EAC Heads of State, is obliged to provide technical and logistical support to the activities of the facilitator.

However, the facilitator is fully responsible for the conduct of the Dialogue.