The Burundi government is ready to hold talks with all the political players involved in the country’s crisis, a senior government official has said.
Reverien Ndikuriyo, the Burundi President’s Special Envoy made the disclosure yesterday, while meeting the East African Community (EAC) Chairman and Tanzania President John Magufuli.
Ndikuriyo, who is also the Burundi Senate Speaker, led President Pierre Nkurunzinza’s delegation to the talks held at the State House in Dar es Salaam, where the two parties held talks over the political impasse in the tiny central African country.
In a statement quoting Foreign Affairs, Regional East African and International Cooperation Minister Dr Augustine Mahiga, Burundi said it had accepted the ongoing dialogue led by the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni over the crisis.
“President Magufuli held talks with his Burundian counterpart President Nkurunziza and the latter acknowledged readiness to participate in the peaceful dialogue,” Mahiga said in a statement.
He added: “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.”
Meanwhile, during the meeting with the EAC chairman, Burundi expressed dismay over the decision by African Union to deploy peacekeeping troops in Burundi.
Mr Ndikuriyo 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 Genocide in Rwanda.
The envoy told the president the situation was not so bad, 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 in 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, President Magufuli urged Burundi to open doors for peaceful dialogue, and allowing members of the African Unity to deploy peaceful talks mission the country.
Magufuli also 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.
