UN set to vote on violence in Burundi

THE international community called yesterday for urgent talks on Burundi as the United Nations (UN) Security Council prepared to vote on a draft resolution condemning the violence that many fear could escalate into Rwanda-style mass killings.

The UN, European Union (EU) and African Union (AU) agreed to convene a meeting between Burundi’s government and the opposition to be held outside the country.

“We agreed on the urgency to convene a meeting of the Burundian government and opposition representatives in Addis Ababa, or in Kampala under the chairmanship of (Ugandan) President (Yoweri) Museveni,” senior officials from the organisations said.

“No effort can be spared to achieve an end to the violence and to foster a political solution,” said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, AU Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and UN deputy secretary-general Jan Eliasson.

The plan for reconciliation talks came just hours before the Security Council was set unanimously to adopt a French-drafted resolution aimed at defusing the violence. Burundi has been rocked by killings, torture and illegal detentions since President Pierre Nkurunziza launched a controversial bid to prolong his term in office in April.

International alarm over the crisis in Burundi has been mounting after appeals to Mr Nkurunziza to enter into a dialogue with the opposition fell on deaf ears. At least 240 people have been killed and more than 200,000 Burundians have fled the country.

The resolution would put in motion UN plans to bolster the international presence in Burundi, possibly with the deployment of peacekeepers.

Taking the lead, France on Monday circulated the draft resolution that threatened sanctions against Burundian leaders who incited attacks or impeded peace efforts.

But a final draft resolution released on Wednesday was watered down, stating instead that the council was prepared to consider “appropriate measures”, without specifying that targeted sanctions were on the table.