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Rebels to discuss ceasefire
08/05/2008 14:00 - (SA)
Bujumbura - A delegation of exiled Burundian rebel leaders will be in Bujumbura on May 14 to discuss a moribund ceasefire, a spokesperson for the rebel National Liberation Forces (FNL) said on Thursday.
"The Palipehutu-FNL has not lost the war but it wants peace and this is why our delegation will arrive in Bujumbura as scheduled on May 14 at 12:00 (10:00 GMT), despite the army's ongoing offensive," Pasteur Habimana said.
The FNL had said on Wednesday that it would be sending a delegation to the Burundian capital soon, even as the small central African nation experienced some of its worst fighting in years.
The army claimed that about 50 rebels were killed during an air and land operation against one of the main pockets of rebel resistance in the Kabezi area, about 20km from Bujumbura.
The FNL launched a major offensive on Bujumbura and its outskirts on April 17, sparking intense clashes with the army which have killed more than 100 people, including many civilians.
Habimana could not confirm the loss of 50 fighters in Wednesday's fighting.
"Those who died and were captured are Burundians. The army shouldn't be rejoicing so much at a time when everybody, including the international community is seeking to rekindle peace efforts in our country," he said.
According to diplomatic sources, the FNL have between 3 000 and 3 500 fighters.
A ceasefire agreement was signed between the FNL, the country's last rebel group, and the government in September 2006 but its implementation has stumbled.
An estimated 300 000 people have been killed in Burundi, one of the world's least developed countries, since the start of the civil war in 1993.
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