Ceasefire talks may fail if not all-inclusive, says analyst

A South African conflict analyst, Jan Van Eck, said on Thursday there was unlikely to be "significant progress" in Burundi's ceasefire talks when they resume on 16 September, unless they included all the belligerents. In an article on the website www.up.ac.za/cips, he said: "Instead of aiming for a truly durable and comprehensive ceasefire with all the armed belligerents, a strong tendency is now developing to try and reach agreements and even separate ceasefires with those individual armed groups and factions who are willing to do so." He said that without an inclusive and durable ceasefire it was "extremely unlikely" that the second 18-month phase of the transitional power-sharing government would begin on 1 May. South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma is facilitating the ceasefire talks in the Tanzanian commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. An agreement has been signed between the Burundi government and the faction of the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie led by Jean Bosco Ndayikengurukiye. "The conclusion of the ceasefire agreement," Zuma said shortly after the event, "moves the peace process one step forward towards securing a comprehensive ceasefire agreement involving the government and all three movements."