JOINT ASSEMBLY OF THE CONVENTION CONCLUED BETWEEN THE AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC STATES AND THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY (ACP-EC)

RESOLUTION () on Burundi

The ACP-EU Joint Assembly,

- meeting in Luxembourg from 23 to 26 September 1996,

A. concerned at the situation created by the coup d'état carried out on 25 July 1996 against the civilian authorities democratically elected in June 1993,

B. noting that the socio-political situation which has prevailed in Burundi for the past three years has seriously undermined trust between the various sections of the people of Burundi and that it is essential for the new authorities to enter into, without delay and unconditionally, negotiations with all the parties to the conflict as well as the armed forces,

C. convinced that Burundi should make special efforts to build a peaceful future, to reconsider and relaunch the democratic process under the rule of law, for the benefit of all citizens, from all the different ethnic and socio-political backgrounds,

D. whereas the framework of those negotiations must remain the one outlined by the various subregional meetings and summits organized by the neighbouring countries under the aegis of the OAU,

E. having regard to the measures taken by the countries of the region of the Great Lakes regarding Burundi with a view to forcing Major Buyoya to negotiate with the various protagonists with the aim of restoring political parties and the National Assembly and resuming dialogue with those who have taken up arms for political purposes,

1. Strongly condemns the coup d'état of 25 July 1996 as the method of winning power used by Major Buyoya and demands full restoration of the rule of law and the constitutional order in Burundi;

2. Condemns the massacres of innocent population groups by armed bands, in particular at Teza and Bugendana, and the brutality of military operations on the ground and also condemns the assassination of the Archbishop of Burundi Mgr Ruhuna by armed bands and demands that those guilty of the massacres be prosecuted;

3. Condemns all the warring factions, whether inside or outside the country, and urges the political parties and all state institutions and bodies to discourage any tendency among their members to use violence as a means of resolving the problems facing the country;

4. Fully supports the OAU's peace efforts and the measures taken at the 2nd Arusha Summit to restore constructive political dialogue between the various political forces in Burundi and the efforts of the mediators led by the former President of Tanzania, Mr Julius Nyerere;

5. Calls on the Council and the Member States to cooperate closely with the Burundi authorities within the framework established by UN Resolution 1012/95, to ensure that those responsible for the assassination of President Ndadaye and for the violence which followed are brought to trial, and to promote national reconciliation in Burundi;

6. Urges the Council to ensure that the other measures envisaged by the common position of 24 March 1995 are implemented, in particular the decision to send human rights experts under the auspices of the UNHCR, assistance in restoring law and order and the training of magistrates;

7. Calls on the Commission to examine with the countries of the sub-region the possibility of creating corridors to bring humanitarian aid to the suffering populations of Burundi;

8. Calls on the governments of neighbouring countries to cease all support - whether financial, logistical, military or political - for Burundi extremists;

9. Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council, the Commission and the Secretaries-General of the UN and the OAU.