Bujumbura - At least four people were killed in fresh attacks ahead of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's arrival in Bujumbura Monday, his first visit to Burundi since a crisis began in April last year.
Ban, who landed in the afternoon, is due to hold talks with President Pierre Nkurunziza on Tuesday after meeting with leaders of political parties and civil society in a bid to bring fresh impetus to stalled efforts to resolve the 10-month-old crisis.
After the talks Ban will head to the Democratic Republic of Congo on the second leg of an Africa tour that will also take him to South Sudan, where civil war erupted in December 2013.
“This is a very important visit because we hope the UN Secretary-General will bring his weight to bear on President Pierre Nkurunziza so he finally accepts an inclusive and unconditional dialogue with his opponents,” a UN official told AFP.
Hours before the UN chief's arrival at least two people were killed and nine hurt in two separate grenade attacks in the capital early Monday by assailants on motorbikes, the latest in a string of such attacks, the city's mayor Freddy Mbonimpa said.
Mbonimpa denounced the attacks as a “terrorist act targeting peaceful citizens”.
“The capital had been calm for several days, but these terrorists as usual launch their criminal operations to show they're here just when Burundi is expecting an important guest,” the mayor added.
It remains unclear who carries out the grenade blasts, which have increased in the past few weeks. Security forces, rebels and the opposition all blame each other for the killings.
In a separate incident, two people were killed and two injured Sunday night in the commune of Gisozi southeast of Bujumbura in an attack by “armed criminals”, local governor Jean-Marie Nyakarerwa told AFP.
The violence comes as Ban hopes to revive efforts aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the political crisis that began in April when Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term, which he went on to win in July.
Since then, clashes between loyalists and the opposition have turned increasingly violent.
A Western diplomat in Burundi said he hoped Ban would discuss “massive violations of human rights observed since the beginning of the crisis”.
“We hope the visit will convince (Nkurunziza) to accept a genuine international investigation into these allegations,” the diplomat said.
Ban's visit came as Burundi's government appeared to soften its position towards its opponents, agreeing to receive a delegation of African heads of state expected later this week and cancelling international arrest warrants against several exiled opposition leaders.
France meanwhile proposed at the United Nations that a UN police force be deployed in Burundi to help quell the violence, according to a draft text obtained by AFP on Monday.
France hopes the statement will be adopted before a group of African presidents, including South Africa's Jacob Zuma, travels to Burundi on Thursday for talks with Nkurunziza.
“We want to seize upon this convergence of international efforts to break the cycle and try to generate positive movement in Burundi,” said French Ambassador Francois Delattre.
The crisis has left more than 400 people dead and over 240 000 others have fled the country, while thousands more have been arrested and the security forces repeatedly accused of extrajudicial executions and other human rights violations.
The UN has warned Burundi risks a repeat of the 1993-2005 civil war in which an estimated 300 000 people died.
The government of neighbouring Rwanda, which is sheltering about 75 000 Burundians, meanwhile confirmed it is planning to relocate the refugees to other countries, but insisted it would respect its obligations under international law.
Rwanda's relocation plan comes amid accusations that Kigali is meddling in Burundi's affairs.
Burundi has repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing rebels intent on overthrowing the government in Bujumbura.
Kigali has fiercely denied the accusations.
AFP