Mkapa in tight spot amid claims of UK, AU bias in Burundi ‘dialogue’
Some of the Burundian delegates and members of the diplomatic community at the opening session of the Burundi peace talks in Arusha, Tanzania. PHOTO | SIMON P. OWAKA
The facilitator of the Burundi dialogue, former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa, is facing a litmus test in mediating the talks, amid claims by key participants that the European Union and African Union are biased and should be excluded.
Mr Mkapa, who was appointed on March 2 by the East African Community heads of state, convened the first round of talks last week, in which he engaged the stakeholders in his efforts to identify contentious issues to form the agenda for negotiations.
