Burundi govt, FNL sign ceasefire agreement

The Burundian government and the FNL rebel group sign a ceasefire

The Burundian government and the FNL rebel group have signed a much anticipated comprehensive ceasefire agreement. This follows a series of intense negotiations to get both parties to agree on various issues relating to the integration of the FNL into the Burundian military and government institutions.

President Thabo Mbeki witnessed the signing ceremony in Tanzania's capital, Dar-es-Salaam.
Jakaya Kikwete, the Tanzanian president, says the agreement closed a dark chapter of Burundi's troubled history.

The signing was greeted with caution because past formal truces have evaporated before the ink even dried, with the guerrillas and army clashing in the hilly country's steaming forests within days.

SA mediating since May
South Africa has been mediating talks between the FNL and Burundi since May. In June, the two sides signed an agreement to stop fighting while they negotiated, but a July deadline for a final ceasefire passed with no deal.

During Burundi's civil war, Nkurunziza's rebel group came to the peace process first, in 2003, while the FNL held out, launching sporadic attacks against civilians and soldiers from its bush hideouts around the lakeside capital Bujumbura.

Now both sides have to hammer out details of how to implement the deal and demobilise the estimated 1 500 to 3 000 FNL fighters, mediators said. - Additional reporting by Reuters