Rebel leader denies secret talks with government

Meanwhile, CNDD-FDD leader Jean-Bosco Ndayikengurukiye - in an interview with the private Burundi newspaper ‘l’Avenir’ - categorically denied allegations he was working hand-in-hand with the government. There has been speculation that CNDD-FDD has been negotiating quietly behind-the-scenes with the government through the mediation of Ndayikengurukiye’s brother Augustin Nzojibwami, who leads the internal wing of the FRODEBU party. Some analysts say regionalism is playing an increasingly greater role in attempts to settle the Burundi conflict, with players from the southern Bururi region - a stronghold of both CNDD and top government/army officials - trying to “come to an arrangement”. Elsewhere in the interview, Ndayikengurukiye said that if foreign troops came to Burundi to ensure peace, the force should be large enough to protect all Burundians. “Going through the motions of just sending a few foreign soldiers will only worsen the existing tensions in Burundi,” he said.