Burundi's crisis talks postponed

The inter Burundian dialogue that was scheduled to take place from May 2 to 6 in Arusha, Tanzania has been postponed.

This was announced on Friday by the office of former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa who is also the facilitator of the talks.

“Following consultations between the facilitator in the Burundi dialogue, former Tanzanian President Benjamin William Mkapa and East African Community (EAC) Secretary General Liberat Mfumukeko, the resumption of the dialogue which was due on May 2-6 has now been postponed,” indicated the statement.

The statement further added that this will provide more time to make further consultations with stake holders and all concerned parties.

The office said that the dialogue will probably take place in the third week of May.

Earlier this week, the Burundian government said that it would not participate in the talks, arguing that it had not been consulted, and went ahead to give a set of conditions to be fulfilled before hand.

Previous talks, then mediated by Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, failed to make any headway.

Meanwhile, violence in the country continues to escalate as five people were killed in an armed attack in the capital Bujumbura.

The country is facing a year-long political crisis that broke out since April 2015 following the announcement by Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza that he would be seeking a third term.