8189th Security Council Meeting: Situation in Burundi

Amid faltering dialogue process in Burundi, Special Envoy calls for redoubled regional efforts to resolve political crisis, bolster economy at 8189th meeting.

• Categories: Meetings & Events / Security Council
• Video Length: 01:14:20
• Asset Language: Arabic; Chinese; English; French; Russian; Spanish
• Personal Subject: MICHEL KAFANDO
• Corporate Name: PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION - PBC
• Subject Topical: ELECTIONS; FOOD SECURITY; HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS; HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE; PEACEBUILDING; POLITICAL CONDITIONS; REPATRIATION; SOVEREIGNTY
• Geographic Subject: BURUNDI
• MAMS Id: 2099649
• Parent Id: 2099260

Description

Against a backdrop of political tensions and a calm but volatile security situation in Burundi, heightened attention was needed to prevent the country from reversing hard-won gains, the Secretary‑General’s Special Envoy told the Security Council today.

During his briefing, Michel Kafando said that despite remarkable progress across the country and welcomed efforts to continue inter‑Burundian dialogue, human rights violations were still being reported, raising concerns about the humanitarian situation. Presenting the Secretary‑General’s latest report (document S/2018/89), he emphasized that the political situation, with the Government’s decision to revise the Constitution, had hampered economic gains and was not suitable for the conduct of credible elections, planned for 2020.

Describing efforts by the Burundi Configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission, its Chair, Jürg Lauber (Switzerland), said one quarter of Burundians were food insecure, while those in need of humanitarian assistance had tripled in the last three years. Further, the economic landscape was deteriorating at a time when thousands of refugees were returning home. Noting an upcoming visit to Burundi, he said the Configuration would align its work with subregional, regional and international efforts, focusing on the East African Community’s mediation initiative, a path to peaceful elections, socioeconomic dialogue with the Government and partners, as well as humanitarian and national reconciliation initiatives.

Burundi’s representative meanwhile asked the Council to remove his country from its agenda, emphasizing the partiality of the Secretary‑General’s report in stepping beyond United Nations Charter principles with regard to respecting Burundi’s sovereignty. Contrary to the report, the ongoing dialogue was not “deadlocked”, but had recently achieved more convergence than divergence among stakeholders. The Government had also taken many irreversible steps on the path to peace. The situation on the ground was calm and Burundi posed no security threat to the region.

Council members commended Burundi’s gains, calling for further steps to be taken towards ensuring a durable peace. Ethiopia’s delegate said the Council’s support of the East African Community‑led dialogue remained important for creating the conditions for peaceful and democratic elections in 2020. Other steps for the international community included helping to boost economic growth, ensuring a political environment that was conducive to resolving differences and bolstering Burundi’s already strong institutions, he said.

Also delivering statements were representatives of Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Côte d’Ivoire, Bolivia and Peru.

The meeting began at 10:19 a.m. and ended at 11:33 a.m.