Citation
ADDIS ABABA, April 7 (Reuter) - Fellow Africans urged the people of
Rwanda and Burundi on Thursday to mourn their slain presidents in peace
instead of fuelling ethnic hatred.
The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) expressed its great shock,
sorrow and regret
at the deaths of President Juvenal Habyarimana of
Rwanda and President Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi.
An OAU statement urged the tiny central African states to mourn these
sons and leaders of Africa with maximum restraint.
It said their deaths on Wednesday were more tragic as they were
returning from a peace summit in Dar es Salaam, convened by President
Ali Hassan Mwinyi in a bid to end tribal bloodletting.
The OAU called on both Burundians and Rwandans to reject anything that
would worsen the situation in their countries.
Every effort and measure should be exerted to ensure that the momentum
for peace in the two countries is sustained and the legacy of peace
these two leaders leave behind is preserved,
it said.
East African leaders also condemned the deaths, warning that any
violence in Burundi and Rwanda threatened the whole region.
In Kampala, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said: It is an
unfortunate incident which underlines the problems facing our
continent. It must be condemned in the strongest terms possible.
In a message to the people of Rwanda, Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi
said: The people of Rwanda should try to pursue avenues for peace
rigorously. The situation must not be allowed to deteriorate.
He urged
Burundians not to lose hope of a lasting solution to political problems
facing their country.
Tanzania, which hosted the peace summit, called the deaths tragic and
declared a day of mourning.
(c) Reuters Limited 1994
