Buyoya stresses need for ceasefire

After a one-day visit to Uganda, Burundi's President Pierre Buyoya told journalists that the pending issue in his country was to secure a ceasefire to facilitate the implementation of the Arusha agreement, Ugandan radio reported on Sunday.

It quoted Buyoya as saying that without a ceasefire, most of the issues highlighted in the agreement "will not be addressed". He said that although the Arusha agreement was "carefully negotiated", it did not provide for the restructuring of the various institutions, such as the army and the judiciary.

Buyoya, who thanked Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni for his support for the Burundi peace process, appealed to the international community to assist Burundi in the ongoing peace initiative, especially the reconstruction of the country to improve the living conditions of Burundians.

"We have been discussing the progress of the peace process in Burundi. He came to brief me," The New Vision government-owned newspaper quoted Museveni as saying. "I have been acting as the midwife for the Barundi [Burundians] to deliver peace to their country. There is real progress now," he said.

Upon his return to Burundi's capital Bujumbura, AFP quoted Buyoya as saying that Uganda had promised to "help the Tanzanians who are trying to convince Burundi's rebels to negotiate a ceasefire".

It noted that talks had been going on in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam, between rebel groups and government officials since last week in a bid to end hostilities and work out a ceasefire.

Despite the installation of a transitional government in Burundi in November, rebels have stepped up attacks and ambushes in various parts of the country, and thousands have been displaced as a result. The army has in turn embarked on a campaign to flush them out.