Mandela convinced rebels will come to Arusha

Before he left Bujumbura on Wednesday, Mandela told journalists that rebel groups would take part in the next round of Arusha peace talks in July, the Hirondelle news agency said. “I’d be surprised if at the same time they launch acts of violence,” he added. He stressed he was “convinced” of the rebels’ “bona fides and sincerity, and I hope they will cooperate to the full”. For his part, President Pierre Buyoya asked Mandela to “do everything so that those who are perpetrating violence against the population also show their commitment to the peace process”. “I am not talking about disarmament or even a ceasefire, but I think that the continuation of violence could completely discredit the work that we are doing,” Buyoya pointed out.