Burundian crisis

Burundian rebel general Leonard Ngendakumana, who took part in a failed coup in May to topple President Pierre Nkurunziza, has said he will press ahead with further attacks until the government is overthrown.

"After we saw that we could not succeed our coup on May 15, we found it was necessary to keep fighting so that we can push Nkurunziza to keep thinking about what he is doing and maybe just resign," Ngendakumana told Kenya's KTN news channel.

General Ngendakumana, a top intelligence officer, is an ally of coup leader General Godefroid Niyombare, who has been on the run since their attempt to seize power was thwarted.

Ngendakumana said there was a need to organize that coup because "Mr Nkurunziza and his team were leading the country in a situation of civil war."

The attempted uprising was quickly put down by the government. It was staged while Nkurunziza was attending a first summit on the Burundian crisis hosted by the East African Community (EAC). He did not attend a second summit, nor a third in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on Monday (06.07.2015).

'Face-to-face pressure'

The talks are aimed at brokering a deal to end the months of unrest in Burundi, triggered by Nkurunziza's bid for a third term in office, which the opposition says is unconstitutional.

However, the constitutional court has ruled in the president's favor, saying he is eligible for a third term because he was chosen by lawmakers and not popularly elected for his first term.

Phil Clark, lecturer in international politics and expert on Burundi at SOAS, University of London, said the great hope of the EAC summits is that they can put "face-to- face pressure on regional leaders to behave in a way that is conducive to peace and stability." However "without actually having Nkurunziza travelling to Dar es Salaam, it's impossible to exert that kind of pressure."

Nkurunziza preferred instead to remain at home and campaign for his controversial third term.

Burundians vote in presidential elections on July 15 and Nkurunziza's determination to stay in power has plunged the country into crisis, leading not only to an abortive coup but to the deaths of more than 70 people and the flight of almost 150,000 Burundian refugees to neighboring countries.

Results from Burundi's disputed parliamentary and local elections on June 29 have yet to be released. A DW correspondent in the Burundian capital Bujumbura said local residents have assorted explanations for the delay. One said it was because two polls were being organized rather than one. Another said it would be difficult to hope that the results will be genuine because as days and weeks pass "people start to think of many things, that the polls have been rigged, that they are being cheated."

Oppostion boycott

The June 29 poll was boycotted by the opposition who claimed it was not possible to hold a fair vote under the present circumstances.

Francois Bizimana from Burundians' Hope Independent coalition said they were waiting for "conditions so that we can go to the polls."

Daniel Gelase Ndabirabe from the ruling CNDD-FDD party said they were only open for talks after the elections. "After the polls, we will come back to dialogue," he said.

The UN electoral observer mission said "the environment was not conducive for free, credible and inclusive elections" on June 29.

Clark says the EAC's response to events in Burundi has been the weakest of all of the external powers. "We've seen the African Union, we've seen the United Nations, the European Union and the donors - for the first time in a long time - put forward a very consistent message that what is happening in Burundi is unacceptable and that these elections should not go ahead."

Apollinaire Niyirora in Bujumbura contributed to this report