Burundi invites opposition to 'frank' talks
An aide to Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza has called on the opposition to participate in a “frank and constructive” dialogue with the government for the return of calm to the country.
On Thursday, Nkurunziza's communications adviser, Willy Nyamitwe, said talks should be held to end weeks of deadly protests against the president's reelection campaign.
Nyamitwe said the issue of the president’s third consecutive term “should not come up again," but noted that the subject would not be a “taboo” in the talks.
This comes days after the Burundian government accepted a call by East African Community (EAC) during a regional summit to postpone the country’s upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections by at least a month and a half in a bid to end the unrest in the country.
Nkurunziza has not yet set a date for elections to be held.
On June 3, a group of 17 Burundian political parties and organizations signed a joint statement reaffirming their “commitment to continued dialogue” in order to prepare for “free, calm, transparent and credible elections.”
Regional leaders have held two summits aimed at ending the current situation in the country since the unrest broke out in late April.
During the first summit on May 13, former intelligence chief Major General Godefroid Niyombare launched a failed coup attempt.
Opponents of the president say his re-election runs against the country’s constitution and the Arusha Agreements, which put an end to a deadly 12-year civil war back in 1993.
Nkurunziza, however, argues that his re-election bid is lawful as he did not rise to power through direct vote following the civil war. He has been Burundi’s president for the past 10 years.
About 40 people have already been killed in the protests and hundreds of others have become displaced.
SZH/KA/HMV
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