EAC heads of state appoint Uganda's Museveni mediator in Burundi standoff

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INNOCENT-THE BLOGGER-BOY

EAC Secretary General Dr Richard Sezibera

 The East African Heads of State extra ordinary summit yesterday appointed Uganda President Yoweri Museveni mediator to the Burundi crisis and urged the nation to postpone its planned presidential election to July 30.

 

Held in Dar es Salaam and chaired by the current East African Community Chairman and Tanzania President Dr Jakaya Kikwete the summit was attended in person by Uganda’s President Museveni while the other EAC Heads of State were represented by their Foreign Affairs Ministers.

 

They included Piere Nkurunzinza (Burundi), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya) and Paul Kagame (Rwanda) as well as South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma who was represented by the South Africa High Commissioner to Tanzania. 

 

Briefing the delegates on the seven resolutions reached during the summit, EAC Secretary General Dr Richard Sezibera said the leaders have called on the Government of Burundi to respect the Arusha declaration accord and not to amend the constitution.

 

The summit urged whoever wins the presidential election should form a national unity government on in which all parties involved in the election are represented and provide with special seats.

 

Burundi was scheduled to go to the polls next Wednesday but with the new decision, Burundi presidential election scheduled for July 15 is now to be reset for July 30.

 

It was not immediately verified whether the new mediator, Museveni ,will work with the UN Special Representative to Central Africa, Abdoulaye Bathily who was on Sunday rejected by Burundian government as the new mediator to end the crisis, accusing him of being bias.

 

Shortly after the meeting, Alain Aime Nyamitwe, Burundi’s Minister for External Relations who was representing Gen. Piere Nkurunzinza said; “I will take the resolutions and the leaders will make the final decision.”

According to him, the government is optimistic that the opposition will cooperate with the new mediator; “we believe Museveni will help. It’s a good decision made by the regional leaders for Burundi,” he said.

 

The summit also called for the government of Burundi to disarm all armed groups and the African Union to urgently deploy military observers to oversee the disarmament. The regional leaders also agreed that a joint ICJR to be deployed urgently to verify presence of FDR in the country. 

 

The summit also requested the AU to urgently endorse the decision.

Dr Sezibera said the EAC should send an electoral observer mission for the rescheduled presidential election.

 

Plans for the summit, the third in a space of three months following the second one held in May, were revealed to the Press a day after the United Nations declared this week's parliamentary and local elections in Burundi not free and fair.

 

This week's polls were reportedly held amid a tense standoff as dozens of people were killed in the capital, Bujumbura.

 

There was a tense political crisis and a climate of widespread fear and intimidation in parts of the country on polling day, the UN electoral observer mission said in a report.

 

"Episodes of violence and explosions preceded and in some cases accompanied Election Day activities, mostly in Bujumbura," said part of the nine-page report. "The environment was not conducive for free, credible and inclusive elections."

 

Burundi's president, Pierre Nkurunziza, is seeking a bitterly contested third term in office.

 

Meanwhile, the United States ratcheted up international pressure, calling for presidential elections on July 15 to be delayed.

 

John Kirby, US Department Spokesperson, last Thursday issued a statement saying that Nkurunziza's continued disregard for the Arusha Agreement has resulted in dozens of deaths, the exodus of over 144,000 Burundians to neighbouring countries and an economic meltdown.

 

"The Burundian government's decision to push forward with the June 29 parliamentary elections despite the complete absence of the necessary conditions for credible elections and widespread calls, including from the African Union and United Nations, to delay the voting further exacerbated an already dire situation," reads the US statement.

 

The US says it joins with the AU, the UN, the EU, and other regional bodies and leaders in urging Nkurunziza to place the welfare of Burundi's citizens above his own political ambitions and participate in dialogue with the opposition and civil society to identify a peaceful solution to this deepening crisis.

 

"This solution should include the delay of the July 15 presidential elections until conditions are in place for free, fair, and peaceful elections."