Introduction

In October 1999, following the killing of two United Nations staff members and seven Burundian colleagues, the HD Centre was requested by the then Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello, to assist in establishing humanitarian channels of communications with the armed opposition groups in Burundi. The objective of the initiative was to underline the importance of seeking arrangements with all parties to the conflict to ensure humanitarian access and the safety of humanitarian personnel.