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Mandela accuses defence minister of “double language”

    NAIROBI

    The facilitator of the Burundi peace process Nelson Mandela, on Tuesday accused Burundi’s Defence Minister Cyrille Ndayirukiye of using “double language” in his speeches, NetPress news agency reported on Wednesday. Mandela said that after holding talks with the minister in Johannesburg, Bujumbura and in Gitega, he had realised that the minister “had changed his position”. However, Burundian President Pierre Buyoya defended his minister saying, he [Ndayirukiye] was intelligent and had the support of the army. Buyoya reportedly added that he held similar views to his minister.

    According to the Azania news agency, Ndayirukiye reiterated the apprehension within army ranks over integration of the rebels into the national army. Army officers were quoted as saying that the rebel activity on the ground was “stark terrorism”, and for this reason, integrating them would be like “issuing them with a blank cheque” to continue killing. Mandela reportedly said he considered these observations a “setback”, compared to his first visit to Burundi.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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