However, the Presidential elections are less than a week away, after being pushed back six days because of severe international pressure, and Museveni has only a few days to complete his mission.
On Wednesday Burundi's political opposition met with Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza to discuss the electoral and security crisis. The talks were mediated by the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni who was selected by the East African Community (EAC) to mediate after an attempted coup by dissident members of the military and the subsequent violence across the country.
President Nkurunziza recently announced his plans to contest for a third presidential term, a move which is considered to be unconstitutional by the international community and Burundi opposition. The Presidential elections are to be held next Tuesday.
The fallout from President Nkurunziza’s comments included a coup attempt in May of this year, international condemnation, and violence across the country.
Appointed by the five-nation EAC, President Museveni has arrived in Burundi’s capital Bujumbura to broker peace between Nkurunziza’s ruling CNDD-FDD Party and the opposition groups in the country.
Museveni publicly stated, "I urge the people of Burundi to forget their past sectarian political differences and build their country on unity." He added that he is in Burundi to "establish a dialogue among warring political factions."
However, the Presidential elections are less than a week away, after being pushed back six days because of severe international pressure, and Museveni has only a few days to complete his mission.
Human rights and civil society groups have stated that Museveni's presence in Burundi cannot alter their stance that President Nkurunziza’s third term violates the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which ended the country’s civil war in 2006.