Burundi has abandoned its bid to chair the East African Community, a position it expected to take over from neighbouring Tanzania at the EAC Heads of State Summit later this month.

“Chairing the summit is not Burundi’s current priority as we have to settle issues at national level that include the current security problem in Bujumbura,” a top Burundi government official told The EastAfrican.

However, the official said that Bujumbura will still go for the EAC Secretary General’s position since it doesn’t require full time participation on the national level.

“Burundi’s surrender of the chairmanship doesn’t in anyway violate the EAC Treaty. It happened to Rwanda when the country had to focus on issues at national level,” said former EAC deputy secretary General Jean Claude Nsengiyumva.

“The chairmanship is on a rotational basis so Burundi will wait for the next round because chairing means you have to be on top of the issues in the region,” he said. Uganda is expected to take over from Tanzania.

Burundi joined the East African Community in 2007 together with neighbouring Rwanda, and since then the country has seen a boost to its economy and tangible benefits from the Customs Union and ratification of the Common Market Protocol.

Despite abandoning chairing the regional bloc, Burundi will still move on the EAC Secretariat top position in April when the current Secretary General Richard Sezibera’s five year tenure is expected to expire.

READ: Kenya eyes EAC post as Burundi in doubt

Violence in Bujumbura has persisted with grenade attacks in public areas and targeted assassinations. Last week, at least 10 people were killed in different attacks in the capital.

“The summit will create an opportunity for resolving the current stalemate between Rwanda and Burundi,” said an analyst. Tensions have continued to rise between the two neighbours with the latter accusing Rwanda of training Burundian refugees to attack their country.