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- Oct 6, 2011
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President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania (R) and Pierre Nkurunziza The President of Burundi (L)
President Jakaya Kikwete will convene the second meeting of the East African Community (EAC) Heads of State next Sunday to discuss the ongoing Burundi political crisis fueled by Prrsident Pierre Nkurunziza's bid to seek for re-election.
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister Bernard Membe told a news conference yesterday evening in Dar es Salaam that the decision wad reached after the recent meeting by EAC foreign Affairs ministers and those of the East African Cooperation dockets from all the five countries.
Prior to the decision, the Foreign Affairs minister said recently the EAC country of ministers met in Arusha and agreed to implement the deliberations made by regional leaders that were reached on their first meeting held recently in Dar es Salaam. The meeting was held on day when Mr Nkunziza faced an attempted coup.
"The ministers who went to Bujumbura met and talked to President Nkurunziza and all 42 opposition leaders and realized that the situation was tense," he said.
Mr Membe said gave assurance that all the five presidents would attend and that they would look on how to solve the escalating crisis and how to help refugees and guarantee security to Burundians.
Prior to the meeting by the Heads of State, Mr Membe said the EAC would meet again to give their deliberations that would be presented before the regional leaders.
Burundi has been thrown into a political crisis following growing opposition to an attempt by President Pierre Nkurunziza to run for a third term in office.
Other than the demonstrations, an a failed coup and the killing of opposition supporters, including last weekend's assassination of an opposition leader have deepened the crisis ahead of Parliamentary elections in June.
The President has defied calls to step down at the expiry of second term also in June. Thousands of Burundi refugees have fled the fighting in their country, with up to 100,000 crossing over to Kigoma region and ravaged by a cholera crisis that has so far killed more than 30 of them.
Source: The Citizen