Hardline Hutu rebel group sacks leader, might negotiate

Burundi's hardline Hutu rebel group, the Forces nationales de liberation (FNL), sacked its president, Agathon Rwasa, on Thursday, replacing him temporarily with Alain Mugabarabona.

In a communique released in the Burundi capital, Bujumbura, the FNL's 30-member Higher Revolutionary Council (HRC) said it had taken the step to stop the group from being transformed into "the property of one person, and into a secret religious sect by some political and military personnel".

The HRC, which has an equal number of civilian and military members, also said it had rejected the idea of "taking the Burundian people hostage" by refusing to take part in peace negotiations.

A diplomat in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, told IRIN that an FNL delegation had arrived in there, signalling "a possible" breakthrough in getting all concerned parties to hold "preliminary discussions" on a ceasefire document. Until now, the FNL has steadfastly refused to be part of this process, while its ally in the field, the Forces pour la defense de la democratie, has agreed to join in.

The diplomat, who asked not to be named, said that a second South African delegation was expected in Dar es Salaam next week to be headed by Deputy President Jacob Zuma to mediate in the proceedings. If the talks there are concluded successfully, a regional summit will be held to endorse the ceasefire document, which will hopefully end the nine-year war in Burundi.