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Burundi's Ministry for Peace and National Reconciliation has embarked on a nationwide effort to inform opinion leaders on the power sharing deal signed on Wednesday between the transitional government and the largest rebel faction of the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD).
The state-owned news agency, ABP, reported on Thursday that a ministerial official, Cyprien Mbonimpa, has begun touring Kayokwe, Nyabihanga and Bisoro communes, in the west-central province of Mwaro.
"His mission is to inform heads of services and people's representatives at the grassroots level on the progress of the peace process following the signing, in Pretoria, South Africa," the agency reported.
CNDD-FDD field commanders said on Thursday they would obey orders given by the movement's leader, Pierre Nkurunziza, to stop fighting government troops immediately, the Associated Press reported.
It quoted one commander in six of the country's 17 provinces, Manacet Nzobonimpa, as saying, "We have necessary mechanisms to control our troops and no incident has been reported to me so far."
Under Wednesday's accord - known as The Pretoria Protocol on Political, Defence and Security Power Sharing in Burundi - the CNDD will get 40 percent of the integrated general staff and the officer corps of the army, 35 percent of the general staff of the new national police force, and 35 percent of the general staff of the intelligence services. [Protocol document at: www.dfa.gov.za]
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