President Yoweri Museveni has pledged to bring the Burundi conflict to the attention of other EAC heads of state so as to bring about peace in the region.
This was revealed in a meeting the president had with France’s Director for Africa and Indian Ocean Remi Marechau and its envoy to the Great Lakes region Ambassador Sophie Makame in London.
“We need a consensus on Burundi as a region. When I take up the chair of EAC at the next summit, I will raise this issue so that we can have a decision. We should never neglect any opportunity for dialogue. We need to ease tensions with regional players,” he said.
The two diplomats were accompanied by Uganda’s Ambassador to France Nimisha Madhivani at his residency at the Taj Hotel, St. James Court in London.
Museveni had travelled to London to attend the International Conference on Somalia.
Museveni who is a mediator in the Burundi peace process will assume the EAC chairmanship at the next summit while former Tanzania President is the lead facilitator. Amb. Makame said the facilitation of the peace process needs to be given more support and that they want to see a gesture to open up to dialogue by all stakeholders.
There has been a growing concern over the political situation in Burundi, the lack of progress in implementing resolution 2303 (2016) and the lack of engagement by the Government of Burundi thus the need to involve the regional leaders.
Presidents of the six countries making up the East African Community will gather for the 18th EAC Ordinary Heads of State Summit meeting in Arusha this May include Summit Chair, President John Magufuli (Tanzania), President Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Pierre Nkurunziza (Burundi) and for the first time, Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan.
