Mandela leaves without accord on prisoner release

Peace mediator Nelson Mandela ended his three-day visit to Burundi on Wednesday with the issue of freedom for political prisoners still unresolved, the Hirondelle news agency reported. “We didn’t agree but we are going to continue to discuss the issue to find a solution,” he told a news conference in Bujumbura before leaving. Mandela was shocked by conditions at Bujumbura’s central prison when he visited it on Monday, describing them as “unfit for human habitation”. President Pierre Buyoya welcomed Mandela’s visit as a “very important step in the peace process”. “It is very important that Mandela, the facilitator, came to listen to the people of Burundi, to talk to them, to listen to the fears, worries and emotions surrounding the peace process,” he said. “I think it is very important for what will come next”. The Arusha peace process is due to resume next month, and Mandela has said he is confident the rebel CNDD-FDD and FNL groups will attend.