PALIPHUTU-FNL has accepted the South African security minister, Charles Nqakula, as facilitator in Burundi’s peace process after a six-month stalemate. Mr. Nqakula today had to meet with FNL delegates in Tanzania in order to move forward the peace process which derailed in July 2007, but talks did not take place today in Dar es Salaam since Charles Nqakula had to fly to Addis Ababa. These two sides are likely to meet in the next three to four days.
The representative of the UN secretary general in Burundi, and the chief of the United Nations Integrated Bureau for Burundi, Mouhamoud Youssef, recently advised PALIPEHUTU-FNL to agree to attend talks in a bid carry out the final step in the peace process.
PALIPEHUTU-FNL had rejected Nqakula as facilitator in Burundi’s peace process and accused him of bias in favour of the government of Burundi. PALIPEHUTU-FNL seeks further talks with the government of Burundi in order to reach a new agreement.
The last attempt of Charles Nqakula to resuscitate the peace process occurred back in September 2007. At this time, the FNL delegates did not attend the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism. PALIPEHUTU-FNL was experiencing internal divisions which the facilitation team, the regional initiative for peace in Burundi and the government of Burundi have encouraged. Currently there are more than 2000 so-called FNL dissidents in two waiting areas in Bubanza province. These dissidents present a danger to the population since sources indicate that the government plans to use them to eliminate political opponents.
The 2006 agreement between the government of Burundi and PALIPEHUTU-FNL has already gone off track. Clashes between FNL and the government have resumed in various areas. The security minister recently decided to deploy many police officers in the northern outskirts of the city of Bujumbura in order to diffuse the tension between the rearmed demobilised combatants working for the National Intelligence Services as informants and FNL combatants. Three days ago FNL combatants pulled out from Kinama commune which had become a battlefront between FNL and the government.
FNL’s decision to resume talks might come as a surprise to staunch CNDD-FDD supporters who actively campaigned for the region to punish FNL leaders after the ultimatum that was announced by the Tripartite Plus expired.
