FDD, FNL rebel leaders return from exile

Following years of exile, Jean-Bosco Ndayikengurikiye, leader of a faction of the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie/Force pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD) rebel group, and Alain Mugabarabona, leader of a faction of the Parti pour la liberation du peuple hutu/Forces nationales de liberation (Palipehutu-FNL) rebel group, returned to Burundi on Thursday night to take part in the implementation of the ceasefire accord signed with the government in October 2002, according to the state-owned ABP news agency.

Upon arrival at the Bujumbura international airport, the two leaders told the press that they were delighted to be home.

Ndayikengurikiye said he was determined to implement the ceasefire agreement after 10 years of struggle for the restoration of peace and democracy in Burundi. "This return will enable us to settle all the fundamental problems experienced by Burundi," ABP quoted him as saying. "I am extremely well, and I can assure each and every Burundian that, after seven years of exile, we have come to implement the signed accord."

The other FDD faction, led by Pierre Nkurunziza, is currently holding negotiations in Pretoria, South Africa, with the transitional national government on modalities of implementation of the ceasefire.

For his part, Mugabarabona told reporters that he was going to campaign from door to door to restore peace, and convince those who are still fighting to embrace the path of peace. "We will respect our commitments," ABP quoted him as saying.

Meanwhile, AP reported the arrival in Burundi on Wednesday of eight Togolese army officers as the first members of an African Union (AU) observer force charged with monitoring the ceasefire between the Burundian army and rebels fighting a nearly 10-year civil war.

According to AP, Ethiopia, Mozambique, South Africa, and Tunisia have also agreed to contribute to the observer force, and the AU has requested similar support from Gabon and Burkina Faso. However, AP noted, it was unclear when any of the other foreign troops would arrive in the country.

On Wednesday, Voice of America reported that the Pentagon was willing to support the African peacekeeping force.

A senior defence official, who spoke to VOA on condition of anonymity, called the assignment "a tough one", and said the Bush administration was standing by to offer support to the planned peace operation. He said assistance could be in the form of chartered aircraft to transport African peacekeepers to Burundi. The official added that, if asked, the US European Command, which deals with much of sub-Saharan Africa, might offer experts to assist in the planning of a complex multinational operation. He stressed, however, that the US had no ambitions to take a leading role in the peacekeeping effort in Burundi, but merely sought to be supportive.