The AU High-Level delegation continues its consultations in Burundi

Addis Ababa, 13 May 2015: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, will attend the Summit of the East African Community (EAC) being convened in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, today, to discuss the situation in Burundi. Yesterday, 12 May 2015, the Commissioner for Peace and Security, Sma?l Chergui, participated in the preparatory ministerial meeting. The AU’s participation in the EAC meetings is a further illustration of its continued support to the regional efforts to address the crisis in Burundi.

In the meantime, the AU High-Level delegation, comprising former Togolese Prime Minister Edem Kodjo and Professor Ibrahima Fall of Senegal, continues its consultations with the Burundian stakeholders. The delegation met with President Pierre Nkurunziza, Foreign Minister Laurent Kavakure and other Government officials, as well as with representatives of political parties and civil society organizations. Throughout these consultations, the delegation underlined the imperative of dialogue and mutual accommodation as the only sustainable way to resolve the current crisis. It urged all concerned to bring all acts of violence and intimidation to an end, in order to facilitate the ongoing regional efforts to create the conditions required for the holding of free, fair, transparent, peaceful and inclusive elections. The High-Level delegation also met members of the international community in Bujumbura. Other consultations are scheduled today.