Talks with Burundi in Brussels failed

Now that the efforts of the European Union to find a political solution to the Burundi crisis have failed, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) demands a stronger commitment of the United Nations to prevent further killings and a civil war in the East African country. “Only the Security Council can now put an end to the escalation of violence.  A delegation of the highest UN body should visit Burundi urgently, emphasizing that there is no alternative to a comprehensive political dialogue with the opposition and the civil society,” said Ulrich Delius, the STP’s Africa-expert in Göttingen on Wednesday.

On Tuesday night, talks between the EU and Burundi’s government – scheduled by the EU and focusing on respect towards human rights – had ended without results. The EU will now probably cut down on development cooperation. On Monday, President Pierre Nkurunziza had snubbed the African Union (AU) when he refused to welcome Benin’s president Thomas Boni Yayi whom the AU had appointed as a mediator. “Burundi’s government does not seem to fear political isolation. Now, it is up to the Security Council to emphasize that sovereignty has its limits where ethnic conflicts are arbitrarily fueled and peace in the region is at stake.”

The STP demands a comprehensive report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to be published. “There is credible evidence that the number of victims is much higher than the United Nations had assumed so far,” said Delius. While the UN assumed 277 dead since the beginning of the crisis in the spring of 2015, local organizations have reported a far higher death toll. Thus, an article published by the Burundian human rights organization Iteka last week accounts for 507 politically motivated murders from January to October 2015, plus 991 arrests and 2,203 charges or arbitrary convictions.

Every week, more than 1,000 people try to flee from Burundi. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 59 percent are children and adolescents. Around 220,000 people have sought refuge in neighboring countries since April 2015. Delius fears: “The slow exodus of an entire generation will throw the development of Burundi back for decades.”

Header Photo: Globovisión via Flickr