Burundi Govt., Rebels Sign Ceasefire in Tanzania

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 03, 2002

Burundi Govt., Rebels Sign Ceasefire in Tanzania

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

Burundi President Pierre Buyoya and the leader of the rebel Forces for the Defense of Democracy (FDD), Pierre Nkurunziza, signed a ceasefire early Tuesday in Tanzania's northern city of Arusha at a summit of African leaders aimed at ending the country's nine-year-old civil war.

According to a statement issued Tuesday, "The summit welcomed the signing of a ceasefire between the CNDD-FDD of Pierre Nkuruzinza and the transitional government of Burundi."

"The summit further directed that following the ceasefire agreement the FDD will become a political party under a new law governing political parties."

The ceasefire was signed after months of haggling over the terms of a truce to end a conflict that has claimed 250,000 lives in the tiny central African country.

The FDD would now take part in "power-sharing arrangements of the transitional government", the statement said, adding the Burundi government and FDD would discuss how this could be done.

A Burundi government sharing power between Hutus and Tutsis wasinaugurated in November 2001 aiming to steer the country towards reconciliation and democracy.

The historic signing came at the end of a two-day summit of regional heads of state dedicated to the situation in Burundi.

Questions?Comments? Click here

Heavy Fighting Kills 24 Hutu Rebels in Burundi

Burundi Govt. Confirms Mass Killing of Civilians

Burundi Government, Rebels to Start Actual Talks Tuesday

Cabbage Tells Changes of Beijingers' Life ( 12 Messages)

A 'Xiaokang' Society Means Not Merely Money ( 5 Messages)

China Starts Working out Law on Citizen ID Card ( 33 Messages)

Differences between US and NATO Widen: Opinion ( 2 Messages)

Sino-US Relations Improve Despite Neo-realism ( 27 Messages)