Buyoya meets with Mbeki

South Africa's intermediary role in brokering a ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has prompted Burundi to request similar assistance to end six years of civil war that has claimed more than 250,000 lives, news reports said on Monday. Burundi's president, Pierre Buyoya at the weekend met South Africa's president Thabo Mbeki to ask Pretoria to play "an active role" in ending his country's conflict between the Hutus and Tutsi communities, which on Sunday claimed at least another 41 lives when Hutu rebels attacked the capital Bujumbura, the reports added. "President Mbeki and South Africa could do more to encourage the people of Burundi to press ahead with their peace process," the South African daily 'Business Day' quoted Buyoya as saying. Buyoya reportedly added that he would like to see South Africa become more active in facilitating talks between his government and the rebel movements which were moving back home from their now-threatened hideaways in the DRC. "South Africa's experience in achieving a negotiated solution to its own problems could be beneficially applied in Burundi," added Buyoya. South African officials said Buyoya's meeting with Mbeki was a follow-up to the talks the two leaders held in Pretoria during Mbeki's inauguration in June. Buyoya said South Africa was already involved in the Great Lakes regional peace process for Burundi under the auspices of former Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere in Arusha. This process, according to Buyoya, was being carried out in parallel with Burundi's internal peace efforts. Buyoya also complained about the continuing embargo on Burundi by the international donor community despite the fact that the region has already lifted the embargo. "Perhaps some key players in the West do not understand the realities of Burundi," Buyoya said, adding that Mbeki could contribute in this regard by making people in the West understand that "denying assistance to Burundi is not the best thing for our peace process". The reports added that Mbeki has appointed a senior foreign affairs official as his special envoy to Burundi, a move reportedly indicating Mbeki's seriousness about the matter.