Security Council shows support for recent moves towards peace in Burundi

Members of the United Nations Security Council today backed recent moves towards ending the civil strife that has plagued Burundi for a decade.

In a press statement issued in New York, the Council's members said they supported the signing of a protocol in Pretoria on 2 November between Burundi's transitional government and the country's biggest rebel group, le Conseil National pour la Défense de la Démocratie/Force pour la Défense de la Démocratie (CNDD-FDD).

The protocol is a supplement to a broader power-sharing protocol, signed early last month, between the Burundian President, Domitien Ndayizeye and the leader of the CNDD-FDD, Pierre Nkurunziza.

The Council members added that they welcomed the regional summit starting on 14 November in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, which is expected to endorse the so-called Pretoria Protocol.

According to the protocol, representatives of the CNDD-FDD will enter the government in three weeks and begin integrating the two armies. The CNDD-FDD will also be transformed into a political party.

Council members praised efforts by South Africa, especially its President Thabo Mbeki, Uganda, Tanzania and others involved in the Regional Initiative for Burundi to promote peace in the African nation.

The members also urged the Forces Nationales de Liberation (Palipehutu-FNL) to join the Arusha agreement peace process immediately. It is the only armed rebel group that has not done so.