African Union donates US $200,000 for ceasefire talks

The African Union (AU), the continent's foremost political body, announced on Wednesday a US $200,000 grant in support of the ongoing Burundi ceasefire negotiations in Tanzania. The AU, which announced this from its headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, said the money would be drawn from its Peace Fund. The grant comes as negotiations resumed in the Tanzanian commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, in the second phase of the ceasefire talks. South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma, who heads the international mediation effort, met Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa on Wednesday. In a statement, Zuma's office stated that Zuma had also met a delegation of the Parti de liberation du peuple hutu-Force nationale de liberation (Palipehutu-FNL), led by its vice-president, Jean-Bosco Sindayigaya. "Discussions with the full Palipehutu-FNL delegation will take place tomorrow [Thursday] afternoon, after all members of the delegation have arrived in Dar es Salaam," Zuma's office noted. It said preparatory consultations were now taking place at the technical level among officials of the international facilitation team, representatives of Agathon Rwasa's FNL, and with those of the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD) led by Pierre Nkurunziza. African leaders at a regional meeting held on 7 October in Dar es Salaam gave the CNDD-FDD and the FNL 30 days to reach a ceasefire deal with the transitional government of Burundi or face the consequences. The summit resolved to meet again after 30 days, when it would decide on action against any recalcitrant parties.