Nkurunziza must give peace a chance

Reports of sprialling violence in Burundi are raising concern across the continent with the number of casualties rising every week.

Frustrations are boiling over because efforts to sue for a peaceful settlement to the conflict are being thwarted by the ruling regime.

Just last week, an another effort by ambassadors of the United Nations Security Council to push for peace ended in disappointment with Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza giving no indications that he is ready to accept proposals by others to find an amicable resolution to the conflict.

There does not appear to be much optimism that the ambassadors, in future meetings with Nkurunziza, will convince him to take urgent action to stop the violence sparked by his re-election bid.

The envoys have been pushing for the government to hold talks with other political parties and groupings, but also want an international presence in Burundi to restore stability.

The Nkurunziza regime has already rejected a proposal to have 5,000 troops from the African Union deployed in the country.

The intransigence by the ruling regime will do little to bring peace, and every effort must be made to forestall more violence in the coming weeks.

With biting poverty and economic stagnation in some quarters, leaders from other African nations have too much in their plate to worry about the spectre of hundreds of thousands of refugees crossing national borders to their countries.

But more significant, the shedding of innocent blood should be stopped by peaceful means.