An African peace process : Mandela, South Africa, and Burundi / Kristina A. Bentley & Roger Southall.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bentley, Kristina A.

Contributor:

Southall, Roger.

Nelson Mandela Foundation.

Human Sciences Research Council. Democracy and Governance Research Programme.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Relations.

Peacekeeping forces.

Peace-building.

Ethnic relations.

Burundi--Ethnic relations--Political aspects.

Burundi.

Peace-building--Burundi.

Mandela, Nelson, 1918-2013.

Mandela, Nelson.

Peacekeeping forces--Burundi.

South Africa--Relations--Burundi.

South Africa.

Burundi--Relations--South Africa.

Physical Description:

xix, 220 pages ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

Cape Town, South Africa : HSRC Press, 2005.

Summary:

From independence in 1962, Burundi has been wracked by divisions between the Tutsi ruling minority and the Hutu majority. In 1993, a civil war erupted during the course of which over 300 000 people have died and many thousands more have taken refuge in neighbouring countries. A small country occupying a strategic location in the unstable Great Lakes region of Africa, Burundi's own convulsions have been intimately entangled with deadly conflicts in the neighbouring countries of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kristina Bentley and Roger Southall outline the origins and nature of the conflict in Burundi, discuss the problems of establishing democracy in a region where ethnic conflict has occasioned genocide, trace the peace process in detail, and assess the prospects for the future. Their work seeks to illuminate the role played by South Africa since 1999 in Burundi's attempted transition to peace and democracy.

Contents:

1 South Africa's role in the Burundi peace process: why does it matter? 1

2 International intervention in Burundi: background considerations 5

The legal basis for international interventions in conflict-torn countries 6

The United Nations in Burundi: the limits to action 8

The regional context of South African involvement in Burundi 12

3 War and the decline of human security in Burundi 21

Geographic and economic fundamentals 21

The socio-economic impact of war 22

Violations of human rights 24

The international response 28

4 The roots of the crisis 31

From ethnicity to race? 32

The Hutu revolution in Rwanda 40

Counter-revolution in Burundi: political struggles after independence 41

The general election of 1993 45

5 Democracy aborted: from coup to civil war 49

The 'creeping coup' of 1993-94 49

6 Arusha I: background to the Arusha Peace Accord 55

Early summits: Mwanza and Arusha I, April-July 1996 57

The road to Arusha II, August 1996-June 1998 59

7 The Arusha II negotiations: from Nyerere to Mandela 63

Who should be allowed to talk? The issue of inclusion 63

Talking through committees 65

8 Madiba magic? Nelson Mandela's role as mediator 71

Weaving the magic: Mandela's approach to the negotiations 73

The signing of the Arusha Agreement 77

The signing of a ceasefire 79

The Donors' Conference of December 2000 81

Towards the transition 82

9 South Africa's continuing role 85

'Our boys in Burundi' 85

From protection to peacekeeping 88

Building on Madiba: South Africa's continuing diplomacy 89

10 Burundi's fragile transition: from Buyoya to Ndayizeye 91

Regional attempts to stabilise the transition 92

Ceasefire agreements between the government and three rebel groups 93

The (limited) deployment of the African Union Peacekeeping Force 94

The Presidential transition from Buyoya to Ndayizeye 95

11 Burundi's transition under Ndayizeye: from impasse to a fragile deal 101

Regional differences in the lead up to the September 2003 Summit 102

Consultative talks at Sun City, 21-24 August 2003 107

The Regional Summit of 15-16 September: the end of the road for Arusha? 108

Sunshine after the rain? The making of a deal 112

Faltering forward steps: the FNL talks to Ndayizeye 116

The regional imbroglio: one step forward, two steps back? 120

12 The contradictory dynamics of democratisation and demilitarisation 129

Cantonments and reform of the army 131

Refugess, resettlement and the challenge of domestic order 133

The conduct of prospective elections 136

Political competition and electoral dynamics 140

The prospects for peace 143

Can Burundi's elites make a pact for peace? 144

Towards a 'generosity moment'? 146

Towards reconciliation? 147

13 Burundian civil society and South African linkages 149

Civil society in Burundi 150

The exclusion of civil society from the peace process 152

ACCORD'S engagement in Burundi 154

The involvement of the Action Support Centre in Burundi 158

Knocking on the door: calls from civil society for inclusion in the peace process 159

14 Sustaining the peace: lessons from South Africa? 163

Overcoming race and ethnicity as tools of division 164

A reconciliation with history 169

Amnesty and justice: will a Truth Commission work for Burundi? 171

Military dominance, minority rule and human rights 176

Material inequality and the need for redress 179

Achieving civic responsibility 182

15 Concluding observations: Mandela, South Africa and Burundi 191

Mandela's contribution 191

South Africa's involvement in Burundi 194

Working for peace: the responsibility of Burundians 195

Postscript: 'We cannot accept to die like hesn' - Tutsi fears and regional peace 199

'The last steps are the hardest': Tutsi parties baulk at election 200

Crisis in the Great Lakes 203.

Notes:

"Commissioned by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and compiled by the Democracy and Governance Research Programme of the Human Sciences Research Council."--T.p. verso.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-220).

ISBN:

0796920907

OCLC:

59093476

Publisher Number:

9780796920904