The East African Community has acknowledged receipt of a report on the stalled Burundi peace talks holding under aegis of the regional bloc.

In a release at the close of the 20^th Summit of Heads of State in Arusha, Tanzania on 1 February 2019, the EAC said it will review the report and then decide on the next move.

The peace talks were initiated by the EAC following the 2015 election crisis in Burundi.

The dialogue to resolve the crisis remains deadlocked after five rounds of talks in the last three years.

The United Nations, the African Union, donor countries and other stakeholders have voiced concern over the lack of progress in the talks, with just a year to go before the next general elections in Burundi.

No details have filtered yet on the observations and recommendations submitted by the Facilitator of the dialogue, former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa.

At the fifth session of the dialogue in Arusha in October 2018, Mr Mkapa hinted that he was moderating the talks for the last time.

The EAC-led mediation receives technical and operational support from the United Nations through the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General in Burundi (OSESG-B).

In the build-up to the 20^th EAC Summit, the Special Envoy of the Secretary General, Michel Kafando travelled to Burundi for consultations with Heads of UN agencies on the political and security situation in the country. He also travelled to Kampala for a meeting with President Museveni of Uganda, who mediates the political dialogue in Burundi on behalf of the EAC.

In the last lap of his regional tour, Mr Kafando met with the Facilitator of the talks, Benjamin Mkapa in Dar es Salam, Tanzania on Monday, 4 February 2019.