Chronology 2003

7 Jan - The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports a new wave of at least 8,500 Congolese refugees arriving in Burundi following renewed fighting in South Kivu Province, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The refugee movement was the result of fighting that broke out on 26 December 2002 between the Mayi-Mayi traditional militia and the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Goma (RCD-Goma) in rural areas of South Kivu. 16 Jan - The EC's humanitarian aid office, ECHO, announces it will donate €74 million (US $79 million) for disaster victims in the Great Lakes region of Africa. This sum is part of €442 million that ECHO had set aside in 2003 for victims of humanitarian disasters in more than 50 countries worldwide. Burundi would get €15 million. 21 Jan - The Burundi ceasefire talks facilitator, South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma, meets Alain Mugabarabona, the leader of the Parti de liberation du peuple hutu-Forces nationales de liberation (Palipehutu-FNL), and Jean-Bosco Ndayikengurukiye, the leader of a faction of the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Force pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD). On 17 January, Zuma met Pierre Nkurunziza, the leader of the other CNDD-FDD faction. They discussed the implementation of ceasefire agreements. 25-26 Jan - Zuma facilitates meetings in Pretoria, South Africa, between Burundian President Pierre Buyoya and three rebel leaders: Ndayikengurukiye, Mugabarabona, and Nkurunziza. The meetings cover issues such as the return of former fighters and leaders to Burundi; the participation of the former armed movements in the transitional institutions of the state and parliament; and issues relating to disarmament, demobilisation and the building of a new inclusive security apparatus in the country. Buyoya signs a memorandum of understanding with Ndayikengurukiye and Mugabarabona, providing for the return of the two exiled leaders to the Burundi capital, Bujumbura, on 10 February. 27 Jan - President Buyoya and Nkurunziza sign a memorandum of understanding in Pretoria, paving the way for the implementation of a ceasefire accord they reached in Arusha, Tanzania, on 2 December 2002. 28 Jan - Humanitarian aid to 7,500 people in Gitega resumes after a suspension earlier by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), amid continuing insecurity in the troubled province. The insecurity had earlier forced the closure of the National Highway No.2 between Muramya and Gitega, preventing UN agencies from transporting their aid. 30 Jan - A week-long meeting of the defence and security technical commission of the transitional government of Burundi and Nkurunziza's CNDD-FDD faction in the Tanzanian commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. 4 Feb: Burundi's interior and public security minister, Salvator Ntihabose, announces a 60-day extension of the house arrest of former President Jean-Baptiste Bagaza. Bagaza is given the right to appeal against the order within two weeks of its issuance. Bagaza had been under house arrest in Bujumbura since 4 November 2002. 13 Feb - Following years of exile, Ndayikengurikiye, the leader of a faction of the CNDD-FDD rebel group, and Mugabarabona, the leader of a faction of the Palipehutu-FNL rebel group, return to Burundi to take part in the implementation of the ceasefire accord signed with the government in October 2002. 13 Feb - The EC announces in Brussels that it will provide Tanzania with €24 million in 2003 to help meet the humanitarian needs of Burundian and Congolese refugees in the country, ECHO reports. 14 Feb - The EC announces in Brussels that it will in 2003 provide about 2 million Burundians with a €15-million aid package. 17 Feb - Germany and Burundi sign a €28-million cooperation agreement. The German embassy in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, says the parties have agreed to concentrate their bilateral efforts on conflict prevention, strengthening democracy and civil society and the provision of food and water in urban and rural areas. 21 Feb - Nkurunziza's faction of the CNDD-FDD suspends ceasefire talks with Buyoya's transitional government. CNDD-FDD cites continuing hostilities, the blockage of humanitarian aid and a lack of consultation over African Union (AU) troops to be sent to Burundi as reasons for the suspension. 26 Feb - The emergency unit of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) launches a seeds and tools distribution programme for 226,500 "vulnerable" households. The households represent 18.5 percent of the total population, FAO says. 2 March - The transitional government and Nkurunziza's faction of the CNDD-FDD recommit themselves to implementing past agreements to end nearly 10 years of civil war. The commitment is made in a joint communiqué they sign at the end of a two-day regional summit on Burundi in Dar es Salaam. 4 March - WFP signs a letter of understanding with the Burundi government to provide the country with food aid for some 631,000 vulnerable people under a protracted relief and recovery operation spanning three years. WFP says it plans to distribute 248,920 mt of food aid, worth over $164 million. 4 March - Buyoya orders the editors of Burundi's private radio stations to stop broadcasting comments and statements by two rebel factions still fighting the transitional government. The private broadcaster Radio publique africain reports that Buyoya summoned the radio editors to his office, where he issued the edict concerning Nkurunziza's faction of the CNDD-FDD and the biggest faction of the FNL, led by Agathon Rwasa. 9 March - Some 3,000 residents of Rukaramu, an area 10 km northwest of Bujumbura, flee their homes for fear of attacks by Rwasa's FNL. 12 March - Eight Gabonese soldiers arrive in Bujumbura, bringing to 43 - and to full strength - the number of the AU ceasefire monitors in Burundi. 14 March - The spokeswoman for the South African presidency, Lakela Kaunda, announces that South Africa has appointed Welile Nhlapo, the director-general of the Presidential Support Unit, to represent the country and Zuma the facilitator of the Burundi peace process, in the AU mission in Burundi. The mission was established under the terms of ceasefire agreements signed by Burundian parties in 2002. 22 March - At least 110 people are thought drowned when a passenger ferry sinks in Lake Tanganyika, off the shores of southern Burundi. The overloaded ferry was travelling from the port of Kalemie to Kalundu port in Uvira, both in eastern DRC, via Lake Nyanza in southern Burundi, when it capsized in strong winds. At least 41 people survived. 26 March - The AU and the government sign an agreement on the statutes for the AU peacekeeping force due to be deployed to Burundi. 27 March - A defence ministry official, Serge Nizigiyimana, says 68 rebels loyal to Nkurunziza and four government soldiers died during three days of intense fighting in the west-central province of Muramvya. 28 March - WFP says it plans to reduce the frequency of food distributions in Burundi because stocks of commodities are very low. The agency says 10,850 people in need of food in the central province of Gitega would not be aided in March due to low stocks. 28 March - Buyoya promises to leave office on 1 May, as agreed in a power-sharing deal with some rebel groups and political organisations. He says he will hand over to Vice-President Domitien Ndayizeye, a Hutu, in accordance with the transitional constitution. 1 April - The defence ministers of Ethiopia, Mozambique and South Africa announce in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, that their countries will send 3,500 peacekeeping troops to Burundi, under the aegis of the AU. They were meeting to discuss recommendations on the force's level and mandate. 2 April - The AU outlines the mandate of its peacekeeping force, due to be deployed in Burundi within 60 days. 4 April - The government says it has released Bagaza, the leader of the suspended Tutsi opposition Parti pour le redressement national (Parena), from house arrest. Bagaza was placed under house arrest in November 2002 for allegedly plotting to kill Buyoya and the Speaker of the National Assembly. Bagaza was never charged. 12 April - Some 3,000 refugees from the DRC living in a refugee camp in Muyinga Province, northern Burundi, stone vehicles belonging to an NGO when they demonstrate against what they term as poor human conditions. The refugees at the Gasorwe Refugee Camp say the monthly ration of 10 kg of beans and three kg of maize meal is insufficient. 15 April - Legislators vote 99 to three in favour of a bill containing measures against genocide and other war crimes. There were 26 abstentions. The law provides for the constitution of an international judicial commission of inquiry for such crimes committed between 1 July 1962 and the date of law's promulgation. 17 April - Some 80,000 people flee Kanyosha Commune, southeast of Bujumbura, following heavy fighting between government forces and fighters loyal to Nkurunziza. 22 April - Alphonse Marie Kadege, of the pro-Tutsi Union pour le progrès national (Uprona) political party, is nominated as the candidate for the vice-presidency in the second transitional phase in Burundi due to begin on 1 May. 25 April - The National Assembly and Senate confirm Kadege as the country's next vice-president. The National Assembly, the Senate and the offices of the president and of the vice-president nominated Kadege for the post, in accordance with the transitional constitution. 25 April - The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) distributes non-food items to more than 500 families who were displaced when rebels began shelling Kanyosha Commune, Bujumbura Rural Province, on 17 April. 25 April - The international medical NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) suspends operations in the southern province of Makamba, after government health authorities prevent its team from gaining access to essential medical supplies. 30 April - Ndayizeye is inaugurated president to lead the second half of a three-year transitional power-sharing government designed to end 10 years of civil war. He takes over from Buyoya. 30 April - Zuma announces that the AU has appointed Mamadou Bah to head the African Mission in Burundi, known as AMIB. The mission's brief is to help bring peace to Burundi by supporting the implementation of the ceasefire through its observers and peacekeeping troops. 30 April - Five international aid agencies urge foreign donors rapidly to release "substantial additional" funds already pledged to Burundi, after the successful transfer of presidential power. The five are Agro Action Allemande, CARE, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Oxfam and Save the Children. 3 May - Rwasa's FNL rules out any meeting between its leaders and President Ndayizeye. The FNL spokesman, Pasteur Habimana, says the rebel group is instead planning a dialogue with the Tutsi community organised under the aegis of the bashingantahe (traditional luminaries) 5 May - Burundi can immediately draw funds from a $13-million credit that the executive board of the IMF approved for post-conflict emergency aid, a statement issued from the Fund's Washington DC headquarters says. The money will be used to support the government's reconstruction and economic recovery efforts following the August 2000 peace and reconciliation agreement signed in Arusha, Tanzania. 6 May - A week after the transfer of the presidency from a Tutsi to a Hutu, the first wave of Burundian refugees arrives in Burundi, aid agencies say. They report that 500 refugees walked into Burundi from the camps in Kibondo District in western Tanzania, and gathered in Gisuru, a village in Ruyigi Province. 7 May - Burundi and the DRC are among the world's five worst conflict zones in which to be a woman or a child, according to a new report issued by Save the Children, ahead of Mothers' Day to be marked on 11 May. 7 May - The government lifts a six-month-old ban on Parena led by former President Bagaza. Home Affairs Minister Salvator Ntihabose says the party had not engaged in violent acts during the ban and authorises it to conduct political activities country-wide. 7 May - Burundi is among several countries that will benefit from a $13-million global effort announced by the US Department of Labour to help educate, rehabilitate and reintegrate into society former child soldiers. 15 May - Humanitarian workers say that more than 12,000 people have fled Bubanza Province, northwestern Burundi, since 8 May when the army launched an offensive against FDD rebels. 17 May - The deputy commander of the African peacekeeping mission in Burundi, Brig-Gen Gebrat Ayele of Ethiopia, lands in Bujumbura, together with 15 officers, to prepare for the arrival of the rest of the Ethiopian peacekeepers. Ayele says the AMIB, would have a force of 2,870 troops: 1,600 from South Africa, 980 from Ethiopia and 290 from Mozambique. 26 May - The full strength of the AMIB high command is attained with the arrival in Bujumbura of 11 officers from Mozambique. They join others from Ethiopia and South Africa. 27 May - The UN Security Council holds consultations on Burundi and welcomes recent "positive steps" taken in the country's peace process. The 15-nation Security Council urges political actors and armed groups in Burundi to opt for dialogue and shun violence. 27 May - Between 15,000 and 20,000 civilians flee continuing fighting that erupted the previous week between the army and the FNL faction of Mugabarabona in Kabezi Commune, about 20 km south of Bujumbura. News reports say the displaced people were from the regions of Mwaza, Gitenga, Mubone and Kiremba. 30 May - Humanitarian officials say that some 4,000 households - at least 20,000 persons - have fled Masama, Gitenga, Mwaza and Kiremba hills of Kabezi Commune in Bujumbura Rural Province, following fighting between Rwasa's FNL and the army. 31 May - Representatives of Rwasa's FNL and the government begin meeting in Switzerland to discuss the possibility of holding peace negotiations. 3 June - UNHCR expresses concern that thousands of Burundian refugees returning home from Tanzanian camps may not be doing so voluntarily. The agency says many of the returnees complained that the level of food aid in the Tanzanian camps had declined steadily. 5 June - An estimated 15,000 Burundian refugees who had been living in camps in western Tanzania returned home in May due to what they said was a "hard life" in the camps, the UNHCR Burundi country director, Stefano Severe, says. 6 June - Two UN teams begin missions to central Africa in efforts to strengthen cooperation between the UN and countries in the region. One team, sent by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, is a multidisciplinary assessment mission. 23 June - Cantonment of 285 fighters loyal to Mugabarabona's FNL faction is postponed after they refuse to go to the holding area, saying they first had to be assured that their families would be provided with aid. 23 June - A UN Security Council team that recently toured the Great Lakes region recommends that the international community make every effort to provide aid to the ongoing peace efforts in Burundi and the DRC. The team says the conclusion of a ceasefire in Burundi could clear the way for a possible international conference on long-term peace and security issues in Africa's Great Lakes region. 24 June - Army and local authority officials say an unknown number of rebels have been killed in fighting against government troops in the north, forcing up to 65,000 civilians to flee their homes. 24 June - WFP says it has provided 157.4 mt of relief food for 41,715 people displaced by fighting between rebel and government troops in Kayanza Province in the north. 26 June - The first group of 22 fighters of Mugabarabona's FNL are cantoned at Muyange, 30 km northwest of Bujumbura, the commander of the AU unit guarding the cantonment site, Maj Piet Meiring, says. Only 10 of the fighters arrive at the camp with guns. 28 June - Fighters loyal to Nkurunziza's CNDD-FDD attack a cantonment site near Bujumbura. 28 June - CNDD-FDD rebels kidnap four Members of Parliament and seven others as a warning to the government to end what the rebels say is a propaganda campaign against the group. 4 July - WFP Reports and Information Officer Karine Strebelle says some 44,000 internally displaced people have returned to their homes in Kayanza Province, northern Burundi, as fighting between government forces and rebels subsides. 4 July - The first group of 150 fighters loyal to Ndayikengurukiye arrive at a cantonment site near Bujumbura. 7 July - Thousands of civilians are displaced as heavy fighting erupts again between the army and fighters loyal to Rwasa's FNL in the southeastern part of Bujumbura. The army announces 15 rebels killed and the remaining ones driven out of the city. 9-10 July - Three humanitarian workers are abducted in the southern province of Makamba in two separate incidents. The workers are from the German Technical Cooperation, the Norwegian Refugee Council and the IRC. 11 July - Preliminary reports from the UN Office in Burundi show that 170 people have been killed and between 6,000 and 7,000 civilians displaced since rebels began attacking Bujumbura from 7 July. 13 July - Rwasa's FNL release 39 hostages. His spokesman, Habimana, says the measure is to prove that Burundian Hutus and Tutsis can "live together without any problem". 17 July - Zuma arrives in Bujumbura to discuss the peace process in the country, two days after the UN begins withdrawing nonessential staff from the city because of fighting between rebels and government troops. 18 July - Kidnappers release three humanitarian workers they seized in the southern province of Makamba, the IRC reports. 25 July - The UN relaxes the security rating of Bujumbura from Phase Four to Phase Three as the AU decries inadequate financial and logistical support for its peacekeeping mission. 26 July - Nkurunziza's rebels release three Members of Parliament of the Front pour la democratie au Burundi (Frodebu), whom they had kidnapped on 29 June in Ruyigi. 28 July - A six-member delegation of Nkurunziza's rebel group arrives in Bujumbura to assess the security situation in the country. 31 July - Countries directly involved in Burundi peace negotiations agree to streamline talks between the transitional government and the CNDD-FDD, Ndayizeye says. Following a regional tour, he says he has agreed with the heads of state of South Africa, Uganda and Tanzania on a new format for future talks, whereby the parties would meet face to face, rather than the former system, whereby parties would meet separately with negotiators. 1 Aug - UN agencies appeal to warring parties to observe a one-week cessation of hostilities to enable a nationwide mother/child health campaign to take place. 4 Aug - WFP finds significant food insecurity in the Rugazi zone of Kabarore Commune, Kayanza Province, following a rapid assessment. WFP says residents of Rugazi have food no reserves, and that the only source of income at present is tea. 11 Aug - International NGO Action Against Hunger says it has temporarily evacuated its expatriate staff from Kayanza Province after gunmen stormed one of their homes, stealing computers, communications equipment, radios and vehicles. Nevertheless, it says it is continuing its nutritional and food security programmes in the region. 13 Aug - Food distribution among fighters loyal to Nkurunziza resumes after a six-month suspension, the army spokesman, Col Augustin Nzabampema, says. 13 Aug - A total of 12,000 people uprooted by fighting from their homes in Mutambu Commune, Bujumbura Rural Province, have received 30-day food rations, the WFP says. 19 Aug - Local officials say about 15,000 people have fled their homes at Mpanda Commune, 12 km northwest of Bujumbura, following two days of fighting between Rwasa's FNL and the army. 20 Aug - Burundi, Tanzania and the UNHCR sign a tripartite agreement on refugees, under which Burundi and Tanzania agree to open more border crossing points to facilitate the voluntary return of Burundian refugees in western Tanzanian camps. 21 Aug - Burundi gets a €172-million EU grant over the next four years in a deal to support development efforts in the country. 21 Aug - The first face-to-face talks between Ndayizeye and Nkurunziza end in Pretoria, with all parties expressing satisfaction with the progress made. 22 Aug - The UN Economic and Social Council names the composition of its Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Burundi, created on 21 July to help the country through its transition from war to peace and in national reconstruction. 25 Aug - The administrator of Mpanda Commune, Fidele Niyonkuru, says 21,860 war-displaced people in the commune, in the northwestern Bubanza Province, urgently need humanitarian aid as they have been without adequate food and shelter for two weeks. 25 Aug - The FAO announces increased aid to thousands of vulnerable households in the northwestern province of Kayanza, where there is significant food insecurity. 27 Aug - Parliament passes a new law granting temporary immunity to political leaders returning from exile. The law states: "The temporary immunity covers crimes with a political aim committed from 1 July 1962 [Burundi's independence] to the date of its promulgation [27 August 2003]". 28 Aug - Burundi "celebrates" the third anniversary of the Arusha Accord for Peace and Reconciliation, but analysts say the agreement has not yet met the expectations of the country's people. 29 Aug - WFP says it has provided emergency food aid this week to some 20,800 people who were recently displaced by fighting in Burundi's Bubanza Province. 1 Sept - Burundian judges begin an indefinite strike, demanding equality among the three branches of government - executive, legislative and judiciary - the president of the judges' union, Adelin Hatungimana, says. 3 Sept - Human rights groups, civil society organisations and opposition political parties protest against a new law granting temporary immunity to political leaders who returned from exile and are taking part in transitional government institutions in Burundi. 9 Sept - An estimated 3,500 civilians, displaced on 30 August when fighting broke between two rebel groups in Bujumbura Rural Province, need urgent aid as they wait to return to their homes, the provincial governor, Ignace Ntawembarira, says. 9 Sept - The EC reports that it has signed a Country Strategy Paper for Burundi outlining its cooperation with the country between 2003 and 2007. 10 Sept - Some 260 refugees from camps in Tanzania return to Burundi via the northeastern border point at Gahumo, UNHCR reports. 11 Sept - Tanzania reopens its embassy in Burundi after a nine-year closure it attributed to "financial constraint". Francis Mndolwa is the ambassador. 13 Sept - The government imposes a seven-day suspension on broadcasts by a privately-owned radio station, Radio Isanganiro, after it aired an interview with the spokesman of a rebel group. 15 Sept - WFP begins distributing food aid to an estimated 15,000 internally displaced people in Mubimbi Commune, Bujumbura Rural Province. 15 Sept - Two privately owed radio stations, Radio Publique Africaine and Bonesha FM, announce that they would boycott all state functions in solidarity with Radio Isanganiro. 16 Sept - A regional summit on Burundi ends without an agreement being reached between the transitional government of Burundi and Nkurunziza's rebel group on the country's political and security issues. 16 Sept - The government suspends another privately owned broadcaster, Radio publique africaine. The radio discontinues its programmes at 19:00 local time, earlier than its usual closing time, to comply with the indefinite suspension order signed by Communications Minister Albert Mbonerane. 17 Sept - Some 10,000 civilians flee their homes following renewed fighting between two rebels groups in Bujumbura Rural, the provincial governor, Ignace Ntawembarira, says. He says 2,463 families from Bugarama and Muzani in Mubimbi Commune have fled to Kinama, in the same commune. 17 Sept - The government imposes a curfew on five zones on the outskirts of Bujumbura, as a security measure for better control of people's movements in the suburbs, Interior Minister Salvator Ntihabose says. Residents of Kinama, Buterere, Kamenge, Kanyosha and Kibenga Rural are ordered to remain indoors during the daily 19:00 to 05:00 curfew. 18 Sept - Burundi's state regulatory body, the National Communication Council, lifts the seven-day ban the minister of communications imposed on Radio Isanganiro. In response, Radio Bonesha and Radio publique africaine end their boycott on reporting all state functions. 20 Sept - Radio publique africaine resumes broadcasting. 21 Sept - Seven civilians and two soldiers are killed when Rwasa's FNL rebels storm a restaurant in Bangateri, Muyira zone, 10 km east of Bujumbura, and open fire, the army spokesman, Col Nzabampema, says. 22 Sept - Despite a 10-year civil war, diseases remain the major causes of disability and mortality in three provinces surveyed by the IRC. Presenting the results of the 2002 survey in Bujumbura, the committee reports that diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, polio and measles account for the largest number of disabilities in the provinces of Bujumbura Rural, Makamba and Muyinga. 25 Sept - Local officials say two weeks of fighting between two rival rebel groups has led to the displacement of some 47,500 civilians in the east and northwest Bujumbura. 26 Sept - FAO launches its 2004 agricultural campaign in Burundi, targeting the most vulnerable of the country's population with a major seeds and tools distribution effort. 27 Sept - A 226-strong force of Ethiopian soldiers, part of a 900-man contingent, led by Lt-Col Meley Amare, arrives in Bujumbura to begin peacekeeping duties with AMIB. 2 Oct - Catholic Relief Services launches its 2004 agricultural recovery campaign in Burundi, aimed at enabling 26,000 families to access $120,000 worth of seeds. 2 Oct - Tension eases somewhat in the northern Bujumbura suburbs of Kamenge and Kinama two days after security forces started combing the areas for anti-government rebels who might have infiltrated the city. Security forces seal off Kamenge, a mainly Hutu neighbourhood. 3 Oct - The Implementation Monitoring Committee of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement for Burundi slams the country's transitional government for what it calls "a lack of political will" in releasing political prisoners and improving prison conditions. 8 Oct - Belgium pledges an undisclosed sum of cash to support the reconstruction of war-torn Burundi as it moves towards peace, Foreign Minister Louis Michel and Cooperation Minister Marc Verwilghen say. They were speaking at a conference called by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, as part of their tour of the Great Lakes region. 8 Oct - Ndayizeye and Nkurunziza sign an agreement to implement a ceasefire deal reached in December 2002. The agreement, signed in Pretoria under the facilitation of South African President Thabo Mbeki and Deputy President Zuma, is on the integration of the armed forces, the police and intelligence services. 8 Oct - The International Crisis Group (ICG), a conflict prevention think-tank, urges the transitional government and the international community to prioritise the issue of land for hundreds of thousands of refugees due to return following the power-sharing agreement between the government and the main rebel group in the country. 15 Oct - The first 20 of 228 Mozambican troops due to undertake peacekeeping duties in Burundi arrive in Bujumbura, the head of the AMIB, Mamadou Bah, says. 17 Oct - Security officers arrest the leader of a wing of Uprona, Charles Mukasi, a day after he was placed under house arrest. 18 Oct - Mozambique sends another 91 troops to Bujumbura, bringing the AMIB peacekeepers to full strength. They arrive to join their 139 countrymen, as well as the Ethiopians and South Africans already in Burundi who make up the force of 3,128 peacekeepers. 19 Oct - A Burundian human rights organization, Ligue Sonera, denounces as inhumane the conditions under which the opposition politician, Charles Mukasi, is being held, and demands that his relatives be allowed access to him or he could die from hunger. 20 Oct - One of Nkurunziza's rebel commanders, Dominique Nyamugaruka, says at least 1,000 of their fighters have assembled on Murambi Hill, in Makamba Province, near the border with Tanzania. The move comes ahead of the troops' cantonment in line with a ceasefire agreement signed with the government. 22 Oct - Proceedings in most courts across Burundi resume when judges return to work after a 50-day strike. The judges were heeding a call made on 19 October by their trade union leader for them to suspend their action. 22 Oct - Parliament approves the power-sharing agreement signed on 8 October between the transitional government and Nkurunziza's CNDD-FDD. Parliament also pledges to contribute to the implementation of the deal. 22 Oct - At least 1 million Burundian farmers, whose food security has become increasingly precarious, are receiving emergency agricultural inputs from FAO, the UN agency reports. The FAO office in Nairobi reports that 2,000 mt of locally procured bean seeds would be distributed to 210,937 households in time for planting in October. 24 Oct - Burundi police arrest four more people suspected of killing the World Health Organisation's (WHO) representative in the country, Dr Kassi Manlan. The suspects are the deputy administrator of the immigration police, Gerard Ntunzwenayo; an official of the government intelligence services, Jaffet Nahimana; the commander of the national police, Emile Manisha; and the commander of the traffic police, Sylvestre Manirakiza. 24 Oct - Mukasi, the leader of an extremist faction of Uprona is released. Police officers arrested Mukasi on 17 October in connection with his opposition to the transitional government. 30 Oct - Despite the death of 20 people in different incidents in suburbs of Bujumbura, government and rebel officials report a marked improvement in the country's security situation since the signing of a power-sharing agreement on 8 October between the government and the main rebel group. 1 Nov - The transitional government and Nkurunziza's CNDD-FDD faction finalise three days of talks, and agree on four outstanding issues from previous negotiations. 5 Nov - Bagaza announces that Parena is preparing to join the transitional government led by Ndayizeye. 7 Nov - A delegation of Nkurunziza's CNDD-FDD, led by Secretary-General Hussein Radjabu, arrives in Bujumbura, in what Zuma describes as a landmark visit. Zuma arrives on the same plane as Radjabu, who is making his first official visit to the country since civil war broke out in 1993. 9 Nov - Four civilians are killed, five wounded and the Chinese ambassador's home damaged by a rocket when Rwasa's FNL rebels shell Bujumbura, the mayor of Bujumbura, Pontien Niyongabo, says. 11 Nov - WFP condemns the killing of a staff member in northern Burundi on 7 November. The WFP employee, Philbert Nsengiyumva, was shot dead at close range by unknown armed men at 23;00 local time at his home in Ngozi town, WFP reports. 12 Nov - Governor Ignace Ntawembarira says some 12,000 civilians have fled their homes in the western province of Bujumbura Rural following the latest fighting between the army and Rwasa's fighters. 13 Nov - South Africa will retain its peacekeeping troops in Burundi until the country sets up its own security services, Zuma says. 16 Nov - The transitional national government and Nkurunziza's CNDD-FDD finalise peace negotiations and sign an agreement endorsing political, defence and security power sharing. 18 Nov - Agriculture and health are the two sectors that would receive most of the $71.1 million that the UN and NGO partners are requesting for Burundi in their Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) for 2004. While acknowledging that Burundians live in some of the worst conditions in the world, the UN, which launches the appeal globally in New York, says it has identified food security, protection, access to basic services and emergency response as the means "to provide life-sustaining humanitarian assistance to the Burundian people". 23 Nov - Ndayizeye reshuffles his cabinet to incorporate Nkurunziza's CNDD-FDD. In a decree, Ndayizeye names Nkurunziza as minister of state for good governance, making him the third most senior state figure after the president and vice-president. 25 Nov - At the end of a six-day mission to Burundi, members of a delegation of the UN Economic and Social Council pledge to lobby donors to resume aid to the country, saying peace has been restored. 30 Nov - Two members of Nkurunziza's CNDD-FDD arrive in Bujumbura, after several years in exile, to take up ministerial positions. They are Simon Nyandwi and Onesime Nduwimana. 4 Dec - So far, 6,000 fighters from Nkurunziza's CNDD-FDD are assembled at Kibongo Commune in the southern province of Makamba ready for cantonment, the rebel faction's spokesman, Maj Gelase Ndabirabe, says. 4 Dec - Zuma appeals to the UN Security Council to take over peacekeeping operations in Burundi, saying the level of violence in the country has fallen sharply this year. 6 Dec - Nkurunziza arrives in Bujumbura for the first time since war broke out in 1993. 15 Dec - Representatives of the Batwa or pygmy people, attending a conference in Bujumbura on the people's social integration, ask the government to seek ways, urgently, of guaranteeing the Batwa greater access to land and education. 20 Dec - Former rebel FNL faction led by Mugabarabona says it has transformed itself into a political party and would apply for registration from the interior ministry. The movement is now a political party known as Front national de liberation Icanzo, FNL Icanzo, Mugabarabona says. 22 Dec - Health Minister Jean Kamana signs an ordinance authorising the civil service insurance company, Mutuelle, to cover the cost of anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) by 80 percent. An HIV-positive civil servant in need of ARVs will therefore pay 20 percent of the price. 29 Dec - Monsignor Michael Courtney, the Apostolic Nuncio in Burundi, dies during surgery at Prince Louis Rwagasore Hospital, Bujumbura following gunshot wounds sustained during a road ambush in Minago, 50 km south of Bujumbura, in the southern province of Bururi. 30 Dec - Ndayizeye blames Courtney's killing on Rwasa's FNL faction, the only rebel group not to have signed up to the peace process. The rebels have denied responsibility.