FRODEBU leaders meeting in Nairobi

Leaders of FRODEBU currently in or outside Burundi have been holding a two-day meeting in Nairobi, Kenya. The meeting, the aim of which was to “find a common ground on Burundi issues”, was likely to end late on Wednesday. “I can’t reveal the agreements we reached, because our meeting is between those from inside and outside. In fact, those from outside are not many, and the results will be submitted to the party’s executive committee,” BBC Kirundi quoted one of the leaders, Jean Minani, as saying in an interview.

He said in his view the problems hindering the setting up of transitional institutions was that the current leaders “do not want to set up transitional institutions right now”. “Secondly, among the political parties from G10, eight have reached an agreement, while the other two did not. G7 parties reached an agreement. We are discussing all this and studying the evolution of events and possible solutions,” he explained. He reiterated FRODEBU’s support for a transitional government to last three years, divided into two phases of 18 months each.

According to the party, the government should be set up “as soon as possible” and it should be left to carry out discussions with rebels. “We have discussed that, and we have reached an agreement in accordance with the party rules,” he said.