27 July 2007 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced deep concern at the withdrawal of a rebel group in Burundi from arrangements to monitor the ceasefire it signed with the Government last year, calling on both sides to refrain from any actions that might lead to a resumption of hostilities.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban called on the Palipehutu- FNL, the last rebel hold-out from a peace agreement aimed at ending years of ethnic violence in the small Central African country, to resume its participation in the Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JVMM) without delay.

He commended the efforts by South Africa, the Regional Peace Initiative on Burundi and the African Union aimed at bringing the Burundi peace process to a successful conclusion and told his Executive Representative for Burundi to continue to work closely with these regional partners.

Last September, the Burundian Government and the Palipehutu-FNL signed an agreement in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, designed to end 13 years of armed conflict between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority.

www.un.org