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Those that signed included UPRONA, the former single party considered to be the most representative in the Tutsi community, and the PARENA party of former president Jean-Baptiste Bagaza. The smaller parties that did not sign asked for more time to study the document.
On Tuesday, however officials of the Burundi facilitation team confirmed that one more Tutsi party, AV-INTWARE, signed the Burundi peace accord, Tuesday morning.
Speaking to the Internews agency, Professor Nicholas Haysom, the
chairman of the committee on governance and democracy (Committee II), which is dealing with issues of elections and transition mechanisms said that he was expecting at least “two or three more to sign on”.
The parties that have signed now have another 30 days within which to come up with agreements on who will lead the transitional government and how to divide the cabinet seats among the various parties.
Mark Bomani, who represents Mandela, was quoted by AFP as saying the accord - despite the absent names on the signatory list - nevertheless laid down “the basis for peace and democracy because the emphasis peaceful ways of resolving differences.”
“What happens next? The question of the ceasefire is going to be pursued very vigorously because violence must be gotten rid of,” Bomani told AFP.
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