No ceasefire in next few months - Buyoya

Burundian President Pierre Buyoya has said he does not expect a ceasefire within the next few months “given the persistence of the [rebel] FDD people”. “However, what might happen is that the coordinated and combined efforts of the region and of the international community will lead to a change in the attitudes of certain countries which are lending their power to them [the FDD], such as Tanzania,” he told a meeting of provincial governors and regional military commanders on Thursday. “If we had respite in this area then we could probably stand up as others do, to the insecurity coming from DRC,” Buyoya said, according to Burundi radio. He said he did not believe in the rebels’ commitment to the ceasefire, adding that he thought they were involved in strategies for “buying time”. “I think the mediator is addressing this situation. He has understood that simply signing a peace agreement without a ceasefire is not worth much, despite the fact that he invested some of his authority in it,” Buyoya said. “I have the impression that the international community and the region is taking his lead - up to now.” The meeting also evaluated security and the social economic situations prevailing in the country, particularly in the areas of public health, agriculture and national education.