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7652th Security Council Meeting: Situation in Burundi
Speakers in the Security Council, including high-level United Nations officials, expressed deep concern today that the situation in Burundi risked relapsing into civil war, and called upon the country’s Government to address the continuing violence and the impunity that fuelled it.
Briefing the Council this afternoon, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Government of Burundi had assured him that the situation was gradually stabilizing. However, civil society organizations and opposition parties had presented a different picture, he said, citing allegations of continuing violence and human rights violations, including those targeting women and children. He underscored the need for utmost attention to ensure that those responsible were held accountable.
Also concerning were the humanitarian consequences of political unrest, violence and impunity for the population, he continued. Since the beginning of the crisis, more than a quarter of a million people had fled Burundi and sought refuge in neighbouring countries. Despite the assurances provided by Burundian officials, the current number of refugees indicated the distress felt by Burundians over the continuing violence and intimidation. “There is no alternative to a political settlement of the Burundian crisis,” he said, stressing that the international community must shift its approach from a focus on crisis response to a culture of early action and prevention. A political settlement was possible only if regional and international actors jointly focused their attention and resources to support a nationally-owned inclusive political process, he concluded.
Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the provisional release of 47 detainees indicated that some effort was being made to re-establish the rule of law. Despite limited progress, however, serious human rights violations continued, he said, stressing that his Office, which had a presence in several areas of Burundi, had detected no indication of any decline in reports of arbitrary arrests and detention. In fact, since the beginning of January, there had been increased reports of torture and ill-treatment, he noted.
“Continued human rights violations, and impunity for perpetrators, mean that many of Burundi’s people live in terror,” he continued, stressing the urgent need for significant steps towards real reconciliation and inclusive national dialogue. Emphasizing that half-measures would not heal the wounds that Burundi’s people had suffered, he underscored the need to end disappearances, arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings and torture. Such steps were vital to restoring public confidence and placing Burundi back on the path towards development, security and respect for human rights, he said.
Jürg Lauber (Switzerland), Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission’s Burundi Configuration, briefed the Council on the consultations he had held in Bujumbura, Kigali and Addis Ababa, where he had pursued a policy dialogue with the Burundi Government and other national and international stakeholders. He urged maximum coherence among the United Nations, African Union and the East African Community, an enhanced international presence to reduce the violence, and attention to the possible regional implications and socioeconomic dimensions of the crisis.
Alain Aimé Nyamitwe, Burundi’s Minister for External Relations and International Cooperation, declared: “It is dialogue that we want and it must be inclusive.” Decrying contradictions carried in recent reports, he went on to emphasize that contrary to information that had reached the foreign press, Burundi was not guilty. However, those who had attempted to bring down State institutions could not hope to achieve through dialogue what they had failed to achieve by attempting a coup d’état. Reiterating his country’s willingness to solve current political problem through inclusive dialogue, he stressed that excellent work was being done throughout the country, and all Burundians were invited to take part.
He then went on to call attention to acts of aggression on the part of Rwanda, a neighbour that shared common features and languages. Despite the request for permission to investigate recruitments and attacks against Burundi, there had been no response, he noted. Warning the Council to act before it was too late, he called upon members to remind Rwanda of its obligations with regard to refugees and good-neighbourliness.
The representative of the United Republic of Tanzania, speaking on behalf of the East African Community, reiterated the subregional bloc’s readiness to play its part, given that the political situation in Burundi could potentially degenerate further and trigger far-reaching humanitarian consequences. “We expect all stakeholders to be forthcoming and to commit themselves to a speedy, genuine and successful outcome,” he said, calling for unity of purpose and action. However, the subregion would not be hesitant to seek and call for stern measures against those bent on acting as spoilers, he stressed.
The meeting began at 3:15 p.m. and end at 4:18 p.m.
