Belligerents given 30 days to sign ceasefire accord

A communique issued after the Nairobi meeting quoted a report by the facilitator which noted that the Burundi army and the rebel groups “had been engaged in negotiations” on a cessation of hostilities. “Regrettably, despite the facilitator’s concerted efforts, the parties concerned have not been able to conclude a ceasefire agreement which is crucial for the implementation of the agreement,” the communique observed. Summit participants called upon the parties to resolve the matter and sign a ceasefire agreement within 30 days, the communique said. It further called on them to declare an immediate suspension of hostilities, pending the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement. The summit statement noted that “it reserved the right to take such action or initiative as may be necessary in conjunction with the UN and the international community in general to put and end to the cycle of hostilities”. The summit noted that no agreement had been reached on the issue of the leadership of the transition. It urged that the issue be resolved “as soon as possible to pave way for the implementation of the agreement in earnest”. It commended the facilitator’s efforts on the issue and called upon the Burundi negotiating parties to “redouble their efforts and commitment to the process”. In this regard, the summit urged all the parties concerned to resolve the issue at a forthcoming meeting of the signatories to the Arusha agreement on 25 September. Heads of state participating in the summit included Burundian President Pierre Buyoya, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, Kenya’s Daniel arap Moi, Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and Tanzania’s Benjamin Mkapa, as well as the mediator Nelson Mandela.