President vows to step down on 1 May

President Pierre Buyoya of Burundi has promised to leave office on 1 May, as agreed in a power-sharing deal with some rebel groups and political organisations. In a nationwide broadcast on Friday, Buyoya, a Tutsi, said he would hand over to Vice-President Domitien Ndayizeye, a Hutu, in accordance with the transitional constitution. State-controlled Radio Burundi said the decision was a difficult one to make, as some politicians wanted key issues such as the ceasefire to be resolved before any change of power. In February, Buyoya hinted that he might not step down by calling for a national debate on whether or not the handover should take place before the integration of Hutu rebel fighters into the national army. Nineteen political parties signed the Arusha accord in August 2000, which defined a transitional period divided into two equal 18-month phases. The first phase began in November 2001.