5th and Final Round of Inter-Burundi Dialogue comes to a Close
East African Community Secretariat, Arusha, Tanzania, 29th October, 2018: The 5th and Final Round of the Inter-Burundi Dialogue bringing together political parties and political actors in the Burundian conflict came to a close today at the Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge in Arusha, Tanzania.
The five-day talks were not attended by the government of Burundi and the ruling CNDD-FDD party but their views were taken in through the Kayanza Roadmap of 2018.
Prior to the talks by the political parties and actors, there had been a three-day session between the Facilitator and the alternative voices in Burundi, namely civil society, women, youth and the media.
Speaking at the closing session of the Dialogue, the Facilitator to the talks, retired Tanzanian President Benjamin William Mkapa, said that he would recommend to the Mediator and the EAC Summit to keep in mind the situation in Burundi and to engage both the Government of Burundi and the opposition to agree on the remaining points of disagreement, so that preparations on the holding of free, fair and credible elections in 2020 could be undertaken.
H.E. Mkapa hailed the participants for their dedication to the Dialogue and for producing a good quality roadmap that he said would be useful in resolving the problem in Burundi.
He further thanked the participants for being able to organise themselves and work in one group irrespective of their political affiliations.
The Facilitator said that this would be the last session he would be presiding over as the EAC Facilitator.
“In this regard, I will submit the roadmap that you have developed, the Kayanza Roadmap 2013 and that of 2018, together with a full report of the Dialogue process to the Mediator and through the Mediator to the EAC Summit for reflection on the way forward,” he said.
President (rtd) Mkapa thanked the Government of Burundi, the ruling party, opposition political parties in Burundi and outside, key political actors, civil society organisations, women, youth, media, religious groups and the international community for participation in and support for the Dialogue that started in 2016.
“Also, I wish to thank the Special Envoys of the International Contact Group for their concerns and interactions. Special thanks go to EAC, the AU, UN, EU and others for their financial support so far,” he said.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
The Summit of EAC Heads of State in 2015 appointed Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni as the Mediator in the Burundian conflict. The Summit also appointed retired Tanzanian President Benjamin William Mkapa as the Facilitator to the Burundi Dialogue.
The Kayanza I Roadmap was a UN sponsored initiative that sought to tackle issues surrounding the 2015 general election. It brought together government and other stakeholders including the ruling party and opposition parties.
Kayanza II (2018) Roadmap is largely a roadmap by government and the ruling CNDD-FDD Party towards the 2020 election.
The internal and external opposition groups who not party to Kayanza II roadmap met in Entebbe, Uganda in September 2018 and came up with the Entebbe Roadmap to the 2020 election in Burundi.
It is these documents that the Facilitator wanted the participants in the 5th Dialogue to combine into a common roadmap to the 2020 election that the Facilitator will present to the Summit of EAC Heads of State.
-ENDS-
For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno
Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 784 835021
Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001:2008 Certified
Tags: Inter-Burundi Dialogue