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STORY: UN / BURUNDI
TRT: 3:07
SOURCE: UNIFEED-UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 09 NOVEMBER 2015, NEW YORK CITY / RECENT
RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters
09 NOVEMBER 2015, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council session on Burundi in progress
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeffrey Feltman, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs:
“Burundi finds itself in a deep political crisis and rapid escalation of violence that has serious implications for stability and ethnic harmony in Burundi as well as peace and security in the region. The political, economic, social and security gains that came out of the landmark Arusha Agreement are already at risk.”
4. Med shot, New Zealand and Nigeria delegates listening to remarks
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeffrey Feltman, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs:
“While the UN in general supports national dialogue efforts, this commission will not be able to make progress in the tense, security context where members of political parties and civil society are frequently found dead on the streets. With many media outlets closed down since spring and opposition leaders abroad afraid to return home, the government has not established the conditions for credible and inclusive political dialogue. We encourage the Burundian authorities to do so as quickly as possible.”
6. Wide shot, Security Council meeting in progress
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“President Nkurunziza announced the opening of a process of national dialogue in September but I regret to report that to date it has fallen short of the truly inclusive discussion that would effectively put the country back on a path to peace. Repeated killings of opposition leaders, human rights defenders and their families, sharply undermine the government’s verbal commitments to reconciliation.”
8. Med shot, Jordan and Lithuania delegates listening to remarks
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:
“I appeal to you to keep Burundi at the top of your agenda and to explore all possible options to prevent further violence including steps to freeze the assets of those who incite or engage in violence and possible travel bans. The council may also wish to consider invoking Chapter 7 of the Charter to stop the ongoing violence and prevent a regional conflict. The government of Burundi should be apprised of the very serious consequences that will ensue if it fails in its duty to protect all Burundians regardless of their political opinions or other affiliations.”
10. Wide shot, Security Council meeting in progress
11. SOUNDBITE (French) Tete Antonio, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations:
“Given this exacerbation of the political and security situation, and given the widespread risks of the confrontation in Burundi, the African Union has stepped up its initiatives in order to restore peace and stability in the country, which is still fragile.”
12. Med shot, Angola and Chad delegates listening to remarks
13. SOUNDBITE (French) Tete Antonio, Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations:
“Only a sincere and inclusive dialogue based on the respect of the Arusha Agreement will make it possible for Burundian actors to find a consensual solution to preserve peace and to consolidate democracy and the rule of law.”
14. Wide shot, Security Council meeting in progress
At a special Security Council session on Burundi, the UN top political affairs official urged today (09 Nov) government authorities to restore peace and security, after a weekend of violence left nine people dead in the capital Bujumbura.
“Burundi finds itself in a deep political crisis and rapid escalation of violence that has serious implications for stability and ethnic harmony in Burundi as well as peace and security in the region. The political, economic, social and security gains that came out of the landmark Arusha Agreement are already at risk,” the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman told Security Council members.
Alarmed that bodies of dead civilians are turning up on a regular basis in the capital city, and in the wake of the killing of the son of a prominent human rights defender, Feltman said that while the United Nations supports national dialogue efforts, it will not be able to make progress if the killings and widespread impunity continue.
He also added that “with many media outlets closed down since spring and opposition leaders abroad afraid to return home, the government has not established the conditions for credible and inclusive political dialogue. We encourage the Burundian authorities to do so as quickly as possible.”
The discovery of the bodies of civilian victims, many apparently summarily executed, has become a regular occurrence in several neighbourhoods of Bujumbura, where on Friday (06 Nov), Welly Nzitonda, the son of prominent Burundian human rights defender Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa was found dead following his arrest by the police in the morning.
Connected via videolink from Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein also condemned the killings, outlined confirmed cases of human rights abuses and expressed alarm at the worsening situation in the country.
“President Nkurunziza announced the opening of a process of national dialogue in September but I regret to report that to date it has fallen short of the truly inclusive discussion that would effectively put the country back on a path to peace. Repeated killings of opposition leaders, human rights defenders and their families, sharply undermine the government’s verbal commitments to reconciliation,” Al Hussein said.
He also appealed to the Security Council to take all the necessary steps to prevent the escalation of violence, including freezing the assets of those involved in the killings and called on Council members to also consider “invoking Chapter 7 of the Charter to stop the ongoing violence and prevent a regional conflict. The government of Burundi should be apprised of the very serious consequences that will ensue if it fails in its duty to protect all Burundians regardless of their political opinions or other affiliations.”
On his part, the Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations, Tete Antonio, said that “given this exacerbation of the political and security situation, and given the widespread risks of the confrontation in Burundi, the African Union has stepped up its initiatives in order to restore peace and stability in the country, which is still fragile.”
He also added that “only a sincere and inclusive dialogue based on the respect of the Arusha Agreement will make it possible for Burundian actors to find a consensual solution to preserve peace and to consolidate democracy and the rule of law.”
