Following its recent 794th session, the AU Peace and Security Council -AUPSC encourages all stakeholders in Burundi crisis to preserve the advantages gained since the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement was signed. However, Burundian politicians diverge on the AU position.
The AU Peace and Security Council urged all stakeholders in Burundi crisis to attend the 5th upcoming inclusive dialogue session scheduled from 18 to 24 October in Arusha, Tanzania. The AU Peace and Security Council confirmed its full support to the mediation and facilitation in the inter-Burundian dialogue.
Léonce Ngendakumana: “The AU has failed to find solutions to Burundi crisis.”
Léonce Ngendakumana, Deputy Chairman of FRODEBU party says the AU position on Burundi crisis is known. “If the AU had really wanted to support the inter-Burundian dialogue, we would have already reached an agreement a long time ago,” he says adding that the African Union seeks to destabilize Burundians while they are preparing for the 5th dialogue session.
Ngendakumana doesn’t believe if the schedule of the fifth dialogue session to be held from 18 to 24 October will finally be met. “Since we attended the 4th dialogue session, a new schedule of the fifth dialogue session has often been announced but was never met,” he says adding that AU has failed to help find solution to the crisis in Burundi.
Concerning the lifting of sanctions that the EU imposed on Burundi in March 2016, Mr. Ngendakumana says the AU would rather suggest Burundi government to correct some mistakes and resume cooperation with the EU. “The EU signed an agreement with Burundi government but the latter didn’t honor it,” says Ngendakumana.
The AU Peace and Security Council exhorted the EU to lift sanctions for the improvement of the socio-economic situation in Burundi.
As for Abel Gashatsi, chairman of UPRONA party, he says the AU Peace and Security commission knows what happened in Burundi. “The EU sanctions don’t help Burundi in anything,” he says. Gashatsi says he appreciates the support of the AU for the upcoming dialogue session as UPRONA party has already been invited to attend it.
Concerning the reduction of the AU observers in Burundi, Léonce Ngendakumana says they did nothing: “They should rather be removed from Burundi. The UN warned about the deterioration of the human rights many times but they didn’t report anything”. For Abel Gashatsi, the African Union would engage in talks with Burundi government to know the number of observers needed in Burundi and extend their mandate.
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