Communiqué of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 523rd meeting on the situation in Burundi

AFRICAN UNION

(A/»i juni

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PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL 523^rd MEETING

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

9 JULY 2015

PSC/PR/COMM.(DXXIII)

COMMUNIQUE

COMMUNIQUE

The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 523^rd meeting held on 9 July 2015, received a briefing by the Delegation of Uganda on behalf of the East African Community (EAC) on the situation in Burundi and adopted the following decision:

Council,

1. Takes note of the briefing by the Permanent Representative of Uganda, on behalf of the EAC, on the situation in Burundi. Council also takes note of the update on the developments in Burundi provided by the Representative of Burundi;

2. Recalls its earlier communiques and press statements on the situation in Burundi, in particular communique PSC/PR/COMM.2(DXV) of the 515^th meeting of the PSC at the Heads of State and Government level, as well as the press releases and statements by the Chairperson of the Commission. Council reaffirms the determination of the AU to fully assume the responsibilities as Guarantor of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in Burundi of August 2000, concluded after sustained efforts by the region and Africa as a whole, with the support of the international community;

3. Commends the EAC and the leaders of the region for their commitment and sustained efforts to facilitate the search for a lasting political solution to the crisis in Burundi, which has the potential to affect stability in the region.

4. Welcomes the communique issued by the EAC on 6 July 2015, following the conclusion of the 3^rd Emergency Summit of Heads of State and Government of the EAC held on that day in Dar-es-Salaam; Also welcomes the appointment of H.E. President Yoweri K. Museveni as the Facilitator of Dialogue among the parties in Burundi with a view to finding consensus on all the contentious issues;

5. Decides to endorse the following decisions of the EAC:

1. The Presidential Elections currently scheduled for 15 July 2015 should be postponed to 30 July 2015, to allow time for the Facilitator to lead the Dialogue;

2. Whoever wins the Presidential Elections in Burundi should form a Government of National Unity involving all those who participated in the elections and those who did not, and should as necessary provide seats for special interest groups;

3. Whichever political party wins the Presidential Elections and all other political parties commit to uphold the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement and commit not to amend the Constitution of Burundi in respect to term limits and other fundamental principles enshrined in the Arusha Agreement;

4. The Government of Burundi to disarm Imbonerakure and other armed youth groups allied to political parties;

5. The AU should urgently deploy military observers to oversee the disarmament process;

6. The Extended Joint Verification Mechanism and Joint Intelligence Fusion Centre of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) should urgently deploy to Burundi to verify allegations of the presence of the FDLR in the country.

6. Requests the Chairperson of the Commission to urgently put in motion the process of deploying AU military observers to oversee the disarmament process in Burundi. Council further reiterates its decision to deploy AU human rights observers in Burundi.

7. Calls upon all members of the AU, the United Nations and all other partners to cooperate with the EAC towards the attainment of permanent peace in Burundi;

8. Decides to remain actively seized of the situation in Burundi.