UN to vote on ‘resolution’:

Africa

The UN Security Council scheduled a vote Friday on a resolution strongly condemning increasing killings, torture and human rights violations in Burundi, and threatening possible sanctions against those contributing to the violence.

Top UN officials and human rights groups have urged action against what witnesses call a deadly government crackdown on opposition members. Statements last week by government officials echoing language used in the 1994 Rwanda genocide have raised alarms at the UN.

The draft resolution asks SecretaryGeneral Ban Kimoon to deploy a team to Burundi to work with the government, African Union and other partners to “develop options to address political and security concerns.”

The African Union has asked the East African Standby Force to expedite contingency planning to deploy to Burundi if the situation gets worse.

A UN peacekeeping department spokesman said Wednesday the UN is working closely with the AU and the deployment of peacekeepers from Congo has also been mentioned as a possible option. (AP)

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