EthnicTutsis in Burundi opposed to talks aimed at bringing an end to more than six years of civil war have called on newly appointed mediator Nelson Mandela to visit the country. “We want to warn him against stupidity,” declared Charles Mukasi, head of a dissident wing of the main Tutsi party Uprona. Mandela was appointed on December 1 to spearhead efforts to bring an end to war between Burundi’s Tutsi minority — which controls the country’s government and armed forces — and its Hutu majority. Several Tutsi organizations have reportedly written to Mandela imploring him to visit Burundi and speak with the various conflicting factions. A round of peace talks began in Arusha, Tanzania, in 1998, but has been disavowed by certain Tutsi leaders.