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| President Nkurunziza arrives at Julius Nyerere International Airport earlier in the day. |
Mr Nkurunziza was yesterday stranded in Dar es Salaam after a failed attempt to fly back to Bujumbura late in the evening a few hours after the news of his ouster broke out.
He was forced to return to Dar es Salaam and immediately whisked into Serena Hotel after the aborted flight to Burundi. However, there were reports that Mr Nkurunziza had attempted to fly to Entebbe, Uganda, before returning to Dar es Salaam. The hotel was immediately put under a heavy security cordon. Reports say the embattled president could not access permision to return to his country as the airspace and its borders were ordered closed.
Earlier after the EAC emergency summit failed to take off, the region’s top leaders advised the Burundi Electoral Commission to postpone the next General Election until the political tensions arising from Mr Nkurunziza’s bid to extend his term in office ease off. The move came just hours after Mr Nkurunziza was ousted by his country’s top security officials. The news that he had been ousted by his former chief of intelligence came as EAC heads of state arrived at the newly-launched State House conference hall in Dar es Salaam, where the EAC heads of summit were to discuss Burundi’s political crisis.
Addressing delegates a few minutes after the meeting was called off, the chairman of the EAC Heads of State and Tanzania’s President Jakaya Kikwete said the region’s top leaders were disappointed by the development. This was not the way to solve Burundi’s political crisis, they added. “The summit is of the view that the coup does not solve the problems of Burundi and we, therefore, call for a return of the constitutional order,” Mr Kikwete said. He was flanked by Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and Paul Kagame of Rwanda.
The EAC chairman called upon authorities in Burundi to postpone the general election to a time not beyond the mandate of the current government. He also stressed that the country’s election calendar and the Arusha agreement which does not allow anyone to lead for more than two terms should guide the process.
The summit agreed that the region continues to consult with all stakeholders to make sure the situation in Burundi returns to normal to allow elections in a free, fair and peaceful manner and this while respecting the constitution and laws of Burundi and the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation agreement. The summit also condemned violence and called on all parties to ensure the violence stopped.
President Jakaya Kikwete who was the convener of the aborted Heads of State summit on Burundi crisis announced the meeting will reconvene in two weeks to continue with the push for a solution in the EAC member country. “We will meet again to continue with the efforts to end the crisis and during that meeting we will take appropriate action on Burundi,” he told journalists.
EAC Heads of State arrived for the summit with the Burundi President conspicuously missing. Mr Nkurunziza had earlier left for home but, according to our sources, he decided to return to Dar es Salaam after fresh clashes broke out. President Nkurunziza will have to talk to the authorities on what next as his country burns. The news of his unexpected return to Dar es Salaam after he was ousted came as Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta was leaving State House after the Summit meeting.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International’s spokesperson and deputy regional director for East Africa, Ms Sarah Jackson, told The Citizen yesterday she was deeply concerned about the situation in that country.
She expressed fears that the crisis could lead to human rights abuses, but Amnesty International would be on hand to closely monitor the situation.
The ruling party, opposition and army should meet and come up with a solution to the problem, she added.
“We are also asking EAC leaders to continue with their efforts to find lasting peace and contain the deteriorating situation,” she said in a telephone interview in Nairobi.
The Citizen
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