An East African summit scheduled for December 27 to help broker an end to Burundi’s political crisis has been postponed for a second time, according to a regional bloc organising the talks.
Burundi has been caught up in crisis since President Pierre Nkurunziza sought a third term in office in 2015, provoking civil unrest that left at least 1,200 dead and displaced over 400,000 people.
The East African (EAC) bloc of countries is seeking to broker a political deal between the government and the opposition to hold elections.
The EAC said on its Facebook page that consultations were underway to set a new date.
“The decision to postpone the summit on December 27 was taken because most of the heads of state were not available during the holiday period,” said a senior official from one of the countries involved.
The summit had been originally planned for November, but Burundi’s government had said it could not attend.
The government has refused to hold talks with some opposition groups that it brands terrorists, despite mediation efforts by the regional countries under former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa.
