Burundi’s last active rebel group on Tuesday said it was shunning a weekend meeting to put the Central African nation’s derailed peace process back on track as the South African mediator was biased.
“The FNL [National Liberation Forces] will not respond to the invitation of South African Minister Charles Nqakula, who has disqualified himself as a mediator,” said Pasteur Habimana, spokesperson for the FNL rebel group.
Habimana, however, said FNL chief Agathon Rwasa was ready to go to Dar es Salaam on the invitation of the Tanzanian government to discuss impediments to the peace process.
Although Tanzania and South Africa are working in tandem to bring peace to Burundi, struggling to emerge from the ashes of a civil war that erupted in 1993 and killed about 300 000 people, they are also pursuing separate mediation efforts.
FNL boss Rwasa is close to Tanzanian authorities.
The meeting of the Joint Verification Monitoring Mechanism (JVMM) to be held on Saturday is aimed at bringing back the FNL, which walked out of negotiations three months ago, in the peace process, Nqakula said in Pretoria.
It will discuss ceasefire, disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of the rebel troops, as well as the release of political and war prisoners.
“The combatants urgently require shelter, food, medical supplies and attention,” Nqakula, South Africa’s Safety and Security Minister, said.
Reacting to FNL accusations that he was fuelling the Burundi crisis, Nqakula said the charges were baseless and were made to delay the peace process.
“They do these [accusations] to complicate and delay the process of reconciliation,” Nqakula said.
The FNL has been demanding a new mediator after attacks on FNL dissidents in the capital, Bujumbura, on September 4 left 21 dead. — AFP