Buyoya in South Africa to discuss “new methodology”

Burundian President Pierre Buyoya on Monday left for South Africa for consultations with the peace process facilitator Nelson Mandela, Burundi’s Umwizero radio reported. The radio noted that the meeting comes within the framework searching for a “new methodology” on how resolve issues on which no consensus has yet been reached.

“When I returned from my recent trip to South Africa, I had said I discussed with the mediator on how to put in place a new methodology that could help handle items still being debated, with a view to reaching the peace accord in the shortest time possible,” Buyoya said. “I then said that he [Mandela] had asked some people to discuss that new methodology with us, so this is what we are going to tackle now,” he added. They are expected to discuss issues such as leadership of the transition and ceasefire arrangements, in a bid to break the current stalemate. Other personalities who arrived in South Africa include Jean Minani of the external wing of FRODEBU, Leonard Nyangoma of the rebel CNDD, former presidents Sylvestre Ntibantunganya and Jean-Baptiste Bagaza who leads the radical Tutsi PARENA party.