Buhari seeks dialogue to resolve political crisis in Burundi

President Muhammadu Buhari on
Tuesday urged the people and
Government of Burundi to explore
dialogue in resolving the current
political differences in the country.
He gave the advice while receiving the
former Burundian President, Mr. Pierre
Buyoya, at the State House, Abuja.
According to a statement by the Special
Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi
Adesina, President Buhari said that
Nigeria would continue to support peace
processes in the continent through the
African Union (AU), which had already
intervened in Burundi.
He said since President Pierre
Nkurunziza rejected the proposal of a
‘‘stabilizing force from the AU, we can’t
impose it on him, but we will continue to
opt for dialogue.’’
‘‘Nigeria has been playing a key role in
the continent through the AU. We
participated fully in ensuring a truce in
Mali, and we want citizens to enjoy the
impact of the truce, although the
terrorists are not helping matters.
‘‘Nigeria is always committed to
regional and continental peace, and we
will continue to do our best,’’ he said.
The President told the former President
of Burundi, who is the High
Representative of the AU Mission to Mali
and the Sahel, that he remained hopeful
that there would be an amicable
solution to the situation in Burundi.
In his remarks, the former President
commended Nigeria for the role it
played in restoring peace to Mali,
adding that the AU was working to
promote security in the Sahel,
particularly through fighting trans-
border terrorism.
He also urged Nigeria to use its clout to
work for peace in Burundi, warning that
the “country is gradually inching
towards a civil war.”