The U17 junior national team (Junior Wasps) will miss the CECAFA U17 championship, which will be held in Bujumbura, Burundi fromMarch 19-April 14.

The tournament will coincide with the annual commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi, which is normally marked from April 7-14

"We cannot play in any competition held during the commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi. We have a meeting on January 24, but it is difficult to be part of this event. We have decided that we will not participate in any event held during the commemoration week,” the FERWAFA spokesperson, Prosper Ruboneza said.

The CECAFA U17 championship dates were confirmed by the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) secretariat, last week.

This was after the CECAFA Secretary General Nicholas Musonye concluded an inspection visit in the Burundian capital, Bujumbura last week.

"Preparations for the CECAFA U-17 tournament are underway and in advanced stages,” Musonye said during his visit to Bujumbura to assess the stadiums and hotels that will host players and other participants from CECAFA member countries.

Three stadiums namely the Urukundo Stadium of Ngozi, Umuco Stadium of Muyinga and Gitega Stadium were chosen to host the competition.

Eight countries from East and Central Africa namely Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Zanzibar and Tanzania have confirmed their participation while South Sudan and Rwanda are yet to confirm their participation.

This is the second time Burundi is hosting the CECAFA U-17 championship. It hosted the first edition in 2007 and the second edition was hosted by Kenya in 2009.

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