Museveni To Lead Burundi Negotiations

The 3rd East African Community emergency summit on Burundi has appointed President Yoweri Museveni to facilitate dialogue between the parties at the highest levels in a view to defuse the growing political tension.

The regional heads of state summit held in Dar-es-Salaam Tanzania yesterday also proposed that the election be postponed from 15th to July 30thto allow time for the lead facilitator to push for dialogue.

During the first summit on May 13th, a general staged a failed bid to unseat Nkurunziza while the president himself attended the talks.

Nkurunziza did not attend a second summit on May 31, and he again skipped the Mondaytalks, staying at home to campaign for a controversial third term as a rebel general threatened to step up attacks.

Meanwhile, Pan African Lawyers (PALU) together with the East African Civil Society Organisations Forum have dragged the government of Burundi and the EAC Secretary General to court.

The lawyers have filed a case at the East African Court of Justice seeking an order to stop Burundi’s Presidential election slated for 15th July 2015.

Among other issues, the applicants claim that the Burundian government has breached fundamental and operational principles of the treaty for the establishment of the East African Community and the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement of 2000.

PALU earlier called for the expulsion of Burundi from the East African Community. The EAC bloc includes Burundi, as well as Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

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