The leader of Burundi’s last active rebel group, Agathon Rwasa, returned from exile on Friday, four days after his group inked a truce with the government, raising hopes of an end to a 15-year civil war.
The National Liberation Forces (FNL) chief flew into Bujumbura on a plane that also carried South African Security Minister Charles Nqakula, the chief mediator in recent efforts to bring peace to Burundi.
“Today, the time has come for us to look ahead and build peace and stability for the sons and daughters of our country,” Rwasa said at a press conference after arriving.
Rwasa, who was also accompanied by his two top lieutenants, was welcomed at the airport by several senior government officials while large crowds lined the main road between the airport and the city center to greet him.
A spokesman for Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza welcomed Rwasa’s return, calling it “a very important date” in the peace process.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described it as a “significant development” and urged the two sides in a statement “to seize this opportunity to finally end the long-standing conflict in Burundi.”
His return from Tanzania marks a new step in moves to definitively end the civil war that has plagued the impoverished central African nation since 1993, leaving at least 300,000 people dead.
“This is a very important chapter in Burundi’s history,” Nqakula told reporters.
On May 26, the FNL and the government signed an unconditional and immediate ceasefire, bringing to an end the latest spate of deadly fighting between the two sides.
FNL fighters had launched a major attack in and around the capital Bujumbura on April 17, sparking a fierce retaliation by the army.
The clashes were the most serious in years and left more than 100 people dead and thousands displaced, raising fears that the country could plunge back into chaos.
A cessation of hostilities had already been agreed upon in 2006, but the implementation of the deal never got off the ground, prompting peace talks to break down.
The fresh violence accelerated efforts to rekindle a peace process and a group of FNL negotiators who had quit talks last year returned to Burundi earlier this month.
Rwasa was born in 1964 and joined the FNL — the country’s first Hutu rebel group — 20 years ago before eventually taking over its leadership in 2000.
He has shuttled between Burundi and Tanzania since 2005 and is not believed to have returned to Bujumbura since 1988.
When the ceasefire was signed earlier this week, both sides pledged the war was finally over but diplomats warned a lot of ground had yet to be covered.
The government has asked the FNL to disarm and its fighters to regroup in designated areas.
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