Uganda’s Defence Minister and facilitator of the ongoing Burundi peace talks, Dr Crispus Kiyonga, has called on the Bujumbura government not to attack African Union (AU) peacekeepers but concentrate on a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Kiyonga made the remarks in a briefing to reporters at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, yesterday.

"It would be a big mistake to shoot at the African Union peacekeepers. We are all members of AU and we are bound by its resolutions. If one is not satisfied with AU’s decision, they can challenge it through proper channels like through the AU summit,” he said.

AU gave Burundi a four-day deadline on December 17 to accept a 5,000-strong force to halt months of violence.

However, Nkurunziza on December 30 threatened to fight the proposed AU peacekeepers if they set foot on Burundian soil, defying intense global pressure to accept the force.

Kiyonga urged parties in the Burundi conflict to embrace a diplomatic solution in order to prevent further humanitarian implications.

"Both sides should respect and listen to each other because I am sure the solution lies amongst the people of Burundi,” he said.

At a consultative meeting on Wednesday in Arusha, Tanzania, to review the Burundi dialogue, officials expressed concern over the continued political crisis, saying it has the potential to degenerate further into a huge humanitarian problem.

The meeting noted that the dialogue meeting that had been scheduled for January 6, didn’t occur due to ongoing consultations.

The meeting committed to intensify consultations with the Burundi government and the opposition with the view to resume the meetings of the Burundi political dialogue as soon as possible.

Burundi’s government announced it would not take part in peace talks with the opposition, according to media reports quoting a senior official, casting fresh doubt on efforts to end months of violence.

The talks in Tanzania were announced in December as part of regional efforts to resolve a crisis triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s move to run for a third term in office – which opponents said violated the constitution.

Joseph Bangurambona, the permanent secretary in Burundi’s foreign affairs ministry, told Reuters on Tuesday that government will not even attend another dialogue slated on January 16 as many may think, because "there has been no consensus on that date.”