President Museveni has bolstered covert diplomatic efforts to rebuild confidence in Burundi’s democratic processes and bring to an end a political crisis that has kept the country on the edge for over two years.
Burundi slipped into anarchy in 2015 after President Pierre Nkurunziza sought a controversial third term in office.
Opposition protesters took to the streets, leading to deadly confrontations with armed security forces in the capital Bujumbura.
Tens of thousands of Burundians fled to exile in neighboring countries of Uganda, Rwanda and DRC, creating a refugee crisis in the region.
An attempt by dissidents to take power by coup attracted the wrath of the armed forces which used excessive force in crushing dissent and potential cells of armed rebellion.
The western community responded by cutting aid to Burundi before announcing a set of sanctions against the country’s leadership.
These actions have since undermined the country’s ability to attract foreign direct investment and tourists hence pushing the economy over the cliff.
ChimpReports has learnt that president Museveni, who is also the Chairperson of East African Community Heads of State Summit, recently dispatched a seasoned diplomat to Bujumbura to persuade government to embrace talks with the opposition.
Uganda’s Permanent Representative to United Nations, Amb Adonia Ayebare travelled to Burundi early November where he met with the country’s Minister of External Relations and International Cooperation, Alain Nyamitwe.
The subject matter of the two principals’ meeting remains unclear.
But Nyamitwe said they discussed “international, regional and sub-regional affairs.”
Ayebare also met with President Nkurunziza at his upcountry home in Ngozi .
Contacted, Adonia confirmed meeting with two government officials.
“It’s true, I went there as a special envoy to the mediator (Museveni) on Burundi,” said Adonia without giving more details.
But officials told ChimpReports on Friday that Adonia was picked because of his deep connections in the Great Lakes region including Burundi.
The diplomat, who previously served as Uganda’s Ambassador to Rwanda, participated in several negotiation meetings aimed at restoring peace and stability in Burundi.
Officials said Museveni decided to send Ayebare after realizing that the talks between government, opposition and other stakeholders had failed to take off.
While four negotiation meetings were held, mediators completely failed to bring opposition and government on a round table for talks.
The ruling government has refused to hold talks with Burundi’s main opposition party, CNARED on grounds that they masterminded the flopped May 2015 coup in Bujumbura.
In May this year, the facilitator of the talks and former Tanzanian president, Benjamin Mkapa admitted that the “process is moving slowly owing to the reluctance of the Government of Burundi to talk to its opponents.”
But Ugandan diplomatic contacts have expressed hope that Ayebare’s intervention could bear fruit as Burundi government has set November 26 as the date for talks with opposition.
“The fact that they have agreed to hold talks this soon is a positive sign. We are optimistic that this can lead to the conclusion of the political stalemate,” said a diplomat in Kampala who spoke to us on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.
Separately, another source said Nkurunziza was opposed to the talks to buy more time as he restored peace and security in the country.
“It seems Nkurunziza didn’t want to engage in talks while weak on ground. But the city is peaceful and the countryside remains calm. He now has an upper hand in the negotiations. He is no longer under any domestic pressure,” the source noted.
Foreign Affairs Public Diplomacy boss, Ms Margaret Kafeero described Ayebare’s visit as a success.
“Amb Ayebare went to Bujumbura as special envoy of the President. He had a successful visit,” said Ms Kafeero.
The development underlines Museveni’s style of work in resolving conflicts in the region.
Ayebare (L) meeting with Alain Nyamitwe in Bujumbura
Museveni this week hosted his former arch rival – President Omar Al-Bashir in Kampala and at his upcountry farm in Kisozi following considerable diplomatic work aimed at restoring ties between Sudan and Uganda.
Officials said Museveni is interested in seeing the Burundi government showing maximum respect to the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement for Burundi.
It’s understood the cabinet meeting held on 24 October, the government authorized the commission to amend the constitution
Philippe Nzobonariba, Spokesperson for the government says the Council of Ministers adopted it and gave permission to the commission to move on to the next step. “Out of 307 articles in the current Constitution, 77 will be amended, 3 will be completely removed while 9 new others will be added,” he said.
The presidential terms limit to two five-year terms has been replaced by that of seven-years renewable once.
Uganda, according to officials, wants to ensure the proposed constitutional amendments are not against the spirit of the Arusha Peace Agreement especially in sharing power among different ethnic groups.
Source: http://chimpreports.com/exclusive-museveni-employs-covert-diplomacy-to-break-burundi-political-stalemate/
