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French ambassador urges aggressive approach to settle Burundi crisis

Xinhua, December 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

European ambassadors have urged an aggressive and dynamic approach to settle Burundi's crisis, stressing that an inclusive dialogue is essential, the French Ambassador to Burundi said Thursday.

The French diplomat was speaking after European ambassadors held a closed meeting with the facilitator in the inter-Burundian talks, also former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa.

Burundi plunged into a crisis in April 2015 when Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run his controversial third term.

His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted in a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup in May, 2015.

"We feel that the only way to solve the current political difficulties in Burundi is by a very aggressive and dynamic approach by Burundians themselves and particularly by the Burundian political forces all across the spectrum, both in Burundi and outside Burundi," said French Ambassador to Burundi Laurent Delahousse.

According to him, it is essential that parties enter into "compromise" that had led to the success of Arusha talks in 2000.

"The 2000 Arusha spirit needs to come back to Burundi. If each party sticks to its position, nothing will happen," said Delahousse.

He said that the European Union (EU) and its member states, France particularly, support the mediation efforts of the East African Community (EAC) through Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Mkapa.

On Wednesday, Mkapa started a three-day visit in Burundi to look at ways of settling the east African country's crisis. On Thursday, he met with the Burundian president.

"Both leaders discussed the progress made in the inter-Burundian dialogue," said Jean Claude Karerwa, deputy-spokesman of the Burundian president without giving further details.

The inter-Burundian dialogue at the external level has made no concrete progress since its launch in December 2015.

In January 2016, the Burundian government boycotted talks in Arusha, Tanzania, arguing that it could not sit on the "same table" with what it called "non-peaceful" stakeholders.

More than 500 people in Burundi have been killed and some 300,000 people fled to neighboring countries, mostly Tanzania, Rwanda, DR Congo, and Uganda since the outbreak of the crisis. Endit