PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
UN: Security Council gives panacea to peace in Burundi
New York, US (PANA) - The UN Security Council on Thursday called on all parties in Burundi to engage in peace talks, warning of further action against those who incite more violence in the Central African country, where a recent upsurge has threatened hard-won stability after decades of ethnic strife.
Unanimously adopting a new resolution, the 15-member body called on the government to protect human rights and cooperate with regional African mediators to immediately convene "an inclusive and genuine inter-Burundian dialogue" to find a peaceful resolution of the crisis that erupted after President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term earlier this year.
The Council's action came three days after senior UN officials warned it that Burundi is at a critical juncture, facing a deep political crisis and rapidly escalating violence, with bodies being regularly dumped in the streets of the capital, Bujumbura, and 200,000 people displaced by the bloodshed.
The resolution asked UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to deploy a UN team in Burundi to work with the government, African Union and other partners to develop options to address political and security concerns and to report back in two weeks with options for a future UN presence in the country.
The UN, which maintained an Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi (MENUB) for the polls, said although the July election that won Mr. Nkurunziza a controversial third term was relatively peaceful and conducted adequately, the overall environment was "not conducive" for an inclusive, free and credible electoral process.
-0- PANA AA/SEG 13Nov2015
Unanimously adopting a new resolution, the 15-member body called on the government to protect human rights and cooperate with regional African mediators to immediately convene "an inclusive and genuine inter-Burundian dialogue" to find a peaceful resolution of the crisis that erupted after President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term earlier this year.
The Council's action came three days after senior UN officials warned it that Burundi is at a critical juncture, facing a deep political crisis and rapidly escalating violence, with bodies being regularly dumped in the streets of the capital, Bujumbura, and 200,000 people displaced by the bloodshed.
The resolution asked UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to deploy a UN team in Burundi to work with the government, African Union and other partners to develop options to address political and security concerns and to report back in two weeks with options for a future UN presence in the country.
The UN, which maintained an Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi (MENUB) for the polls, said although the July election that won Mr. Nkurunziza a controversial third term was relatively peaceful and conducted adequately, the overall environment was "not conducive" for an inclusive, free and credible electoral process.
-0- PANA AA/SEG 13Nov2015
