Burundi's main rebel army, the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD), says its leaders will meet former South African President Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg later this week for the first direct talks on the Burundian peace process, South African news reports said on Thursday.
A rebel spokesman said the group was satisfied with Mandela's role as the new mediator in the peace process. He was quoted as saying it would also reconsider the possibility of attending the peace talks in Arusha, Tanzania, if Mandela asked them to. The rebel army, led by Colonel Jean Bosco Ndayikengurukiye, has until now refused to join multi-party peace negotiations at Arusha, saying it would only deal directly with the
Bujumbura government.
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