Military Leaders of Tanzania, Burundi Meet on Border SecurityArmy leaders from Tanzania and Burundi have held an important meeting on disputes along the borders of the two countries, Tanzania's Chief of Defense Forces General Robert Mbomasaid confirmed Monday in Dar Es Salaam.He said that General Gideon Sayore, Tanzania's chief of staff and his Burundian counterpart recently attended the meeting held in Bujumbura, capital of Burundi. They discussed topics on security along their border areas and the banditry activities there, in addition to the good neighborliness between the two countries, according to Mbomasaid. Last month, Tanzanian Minister for Defense and National Service Philemon Sarungi told the National Assembly, or the country's parliament, that Burundian troops had advanced and established a base near its border with Tanzania, causing worries from Tanzanian side. "The advancement of the troops has necessitated discussions between the chiefs of armed forces of both countries, at a meeting to be held in the near future," he said at that time. Sarungi also said that there were incidents where fleeing Burundian refugees crossed the border and robbed Tanzanian locals of their property including crops. On the other hand, Burundi has been accusing Tanzania of training its rebels, an allegation Tanzania has categorically denied. The situation complicated recently when the two main Burundian rebel groups, who reject a ceasefire with the government and participation in the national peace process, have been launching heavy offensives on the outskirts of Bujumbura. The once hopeful Burundian peace process hit a snag as the 19 parties disagreed recently with a proposed transitional leadership set up in accordance with a peace agreement they signed last August. Burundi has been wracked by civil war since 1993 when the first elected president Melchior Ndadaye, a Hutu, was assassinated by Tutsi troops. More than 200,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in the fighting afterward and a further 1.2 million displaced. The Burundian peace talks were initiated by former Tanzanian president Julius Nyerere in June 1998 and have been beefed up by the efforts of South Africa's former president Nelson Mandela since he succeeded Nyerere as the Burundian peace facilitator in December 1999. |
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