"Memorandum of understanding" signed with one Hutu faction

At the adjournment of the latest round of ceasefire negotiations, an agreement has been signed between the transitional national government of Burundi and the faction of the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Force pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD) led by Jean Bosco Ndayikengurukiye. After extended talks, facilitated by South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma, the two groups signed the agreement, which is being called a "memorandum of understanding", in Tanzania's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, on Monday afternoon. While all the groups involved seemed pleased with the progress, it was not immediately clear what the agreement meant in the context of the peace process, or the situation on the ground in Burundi, as there seemed to be slight confusion over its interpretation. Zuma, however, was in no doubt about its significance. "The conclusion of the ceasefire agreement with the CNDD-FDD [Ndayikengurukiye] moves the peace process one step forward towards securing a comprehensive ceasefire agreement involving the government and all three movements," he told reporters after the brief ceremony attending the signing of the accord. "It also heralds the beginning of an important chapter in the history of the Burundian war, and gives concrete hope to the Burundian people and the people of the African continent that Africa is now certainly on the road to peace and stability," he added. Ndayikengurukiye also spoke of the agreement as "laying the foundation for the pacification of Burundi" and "calming the fears of its people", but was careful to clarify that, "what was signed was not a ceasefire agreement, but a memorandum of understanding between two groups". Likewise, Ambroise Niyonsaba, the head of the government's delegation, told IRIN that it was a move to adopt the text of the ceasefire, but that the agreement itself would not be signed until the upcoming regional summit on Burundi. Before leaving Dar es Salaam, Zuma explained the situation regarding the other Hutu rebel groups involved in the talks. "Talks and consultations with the transitional government and the CNDD-FDD [Nkurunziza] have progressed well, and a lot of effort is being put into resolving outstanding matters, and to allow a conclusion soon," he said. Without expanding on whether the stalemate over whom the rebel group would talk with was being resolved, he said that negotiations at a technical level would continue this week between the Nkurunziza group an the transitional government, and actual ceasefire negotiations would resume in Dar es Salaam on 16 September. The South African facilitators also announced that the Partie de liberation du peuple hutu-Force nationale de liberation (Palipehutu-FNL), which had been due for talks in Dar es Salaam over the weekend, failed to arrive on time, but would travel to South Africa for "preliminary consultations" this week. Questioned on the issue of the different claimants to the leadership of the FNL, however, Zuma refused to be tied down over who would be going to South Africa. "We are meeting Palipehutu-FNL. We are not mentioning the leaders, but the organisation. When they come, we will see which delegation they have sent as, over a period, they have sent different delegations," he said. However, analysts see the South African recognition of Alain Mugarabona as the "interim" leader as a potential cause of antagonism that might lead to the majority of the group, still believed to be under the command of Agathon Rwasa, turning its back on the peace process and stepping up its military campaign.