Rebel leader in Belgium

Rebel leader Jean-Bosco Ndayikengurukiye has said the recent Pretoria decision appointing President Pierre Buyoya as first transitional leader is of no concern to him. In an interview with IRIN in Brussels on Thursday, the CNDD-FDD leader again pointed out that his group had not been part of the Arusha process - a process which had not given the belligerents an opportunity to meet face to face. “Having said that, however, we are ready to negotiate with any [Burundi] government which accepts talks,” he added.

He said war was not the philosophy of CNDD-FDD. “But we are resisting in order to oblige the army to give back what it has stolen,” he said. “When it shows signs of goodwill in favour of peace and democracy, we will be ready to negotiate a cessation of hostilites.” Ndayikengurukiye said that “armed resistance” was not a crime. “It is even a noble resistance,” he added. He said he had come to Belgium to discuss ways of resolving the Burundi problem “because the international community is not doing enough to find a quick solution”.