ICGLR wants Burundi elections postponed

Heads of State from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) have called for the postponement of Burundi elections, which are scheduled for June 26. The heads of state and government had convened in Luanda, Angola, yesterday, for an extraordinary summit to discuss the security and humanitarian situation in the Great Lakes Region with special focus on Burundi, Central African Republic, DR Congo and South Sudan. According to Wilson Kajwengye, the director of peace and security at ICGLR Secretariat, who was present at the meeting, the heads of state called on all parties involved to desist from violence and pursue dialogue. Kajwengye added that the heads of state and government resolved that a delegation comprising of Presidents of Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and South Africa will soon visit Burundi where they will meet their counterpart Pierre Nkurunzinza. The meeting was attended by Presidents Catherine Samba of the Central African Republic, Joseph Kabila of DR Congo, Edger Lungu of Zambia, Salva Kiir of South Sudan, Jacob Zuma of South Africa and host José Eduardo dos Santos. Rwanda was represented by Foreign Affairs minister Louise Mushikiwabo. The summit, at which Burundi was not represented, condemned last week’s attempted coup led by Maj Gen Godefroid Niyombare. ICGLR is composed of Angola, Burundi, Republic of Congo, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Angola is the current chair of the bloc. Political impasse in Burundi Burundi has been rocked by a wave of violent protests and an attempted coup that have led to over 100,000 Burundians fleeing the country, mostly to Rwanda and Tanzania. The instability is believed toahave stemmed from announcement by President Nkurunziza that he will contest for a third term in office. The ICGLR summit was held parallel to an emergency meeting by ministers of East African Community (EAC) affairs in Arusha, Tanzania, that convened to seek solution to the situation in Burundi. The meeting was chaired by the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers, Tanzania’s Dr Harrison Mwakyembe. According to a statement from the EAC Secretariat, the meeting deliberated on the current situation in Burundi and resolved that Dr Mwakyembe and the Secretary-General, Dr Richard Sezibera, would soon visit Burundi to assess the situation on the ground. The EAC meeting also tasked the ministers responsible for EAC Affairs to visit camps hosting refugees from the Burundi both in Rwanda and Tanzania to assess the humanitarian situation. “The EAC Eminent Persons or the COMESA Committee of elders will visit Bujumbura to continue with consultations with all actors and report to the Summit,” the statement further read. More than 20 people have been killed in the riots since they began three weeks ago.

News

ICGLR wants Burundi elections postponed