OFFICE OF THE FACILITATOR OF THE INTER-BURUNDI DIALOGUE

EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY

OFFICE OF THE FACILITATOR OF THE INTER-BURUNDI DIALOGUE

PRESS STATEMENT

UPDATE ON INTER-BURUNDI DIALOGUE

The Facilitator of the Inter-Burundi Dialogue and former Tanzania President, H.E. Benjamin William Mkapa, takes this opportunity to update the stakeholders of the Inter-Burundi Dialogue as follows:

1.    At its 17^th Extraordinary session held on 8^th of September 2016 in Dar es Salaam, the EAC Summit of Heads of State, among others, received and considered the progress report on the Inter Burundian Dialogue from the Facilitator. The Facilitators Report highlighted issues for consideration if sustainable Peace and Stability is to be restored in Burundi. The Summit adopted the recommendations of the Facilitator on the way forward and re-emphasized the need for ownership and leadership of the process by the region in all aspects.

2.    Based on the Summit decision, a roadmap for the Burundi Dialogue process was developed and presented to the Mediator His Excellency President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda on 2^nd November, 2016. The roadmap provides for a series of engagements between December 2016 and June 2017 that will culminate into an Agreement.

3.    In implementing the roadmap, the Facilitator H.E. Benjamin Mkapa, will in due course be visiting the Republic of Burundi to confer with H.E. Pierre Nkunziza and also consult other significant political players. This will lay the foundation for a series of both formal and informal engagements with and among the various stakeholders, in and outside Burundi and also with international actors.

4.    In undertaking this process, regular consultations will continue to take place with the Mediator, the EAC Summit of Heads of State, the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), the AU and the UN with a view to collectively assisting Burundians in the process to seek sustainable Peace and Security. In the same vein the Facilitator will maintain the consultative relationship developed with the various Special Envoys and Representatives supportive of the process.

5.    The Facilitator wishes to acknowledge that since his appeal in May 2016; to Parties to the Conflict to desist from violent acts and give dialogue a chance, there has been a noticeable improvement on the security situation in Burundi. The Facilitator will continue to urge all Parties to adhere to this non-violent approach to solving the political crisis. The improved security situation in Burundi has also been echoed by the international community.

6.    It is important that as this process proceeds, and for which the Barundi and the EAC Citizens will continue to be briefed on the progress, all parties should strive to avoid actions and utterances that are not helpful to the healing process and remain seized of the commitment to a political process.

7.    Finally, the Facilitator has been keenly following the ongoing Internal Dialogue Sessions organized by the National Commission for Inter-Burundi Dialogue (CNDI) and other evolving political and constitutional developments in Burundi. The Facilitator urges the authorities and political actors to safeguard the gains of the EAC led process and Government efforts to stabilize Burundi.

Issued by:

Office of the Facilitator of the Inter-Burundi Dialogue on this day 1^st December 2016