Burundi crisis poses threat to region: AU Dr Dlamini-Zuma
Dr Dlamini-Zuma

Dr Dlamini-Zuma

ADDIS ABABA/PARIS. — The African Union has warned that the continuation of the political crisis in Burundi poses a major threat to both the country and the region.

AU Commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma made the remarks in a statement on Thursday, calling on the conflicting sides in the country to work to resolve their differences peacefully.

Dlamini-Zuma warned that if the conflict continues, the situation will “create conditions for more instability, with devastating consequences for Burundi and the whole region”.

She also said the situation could send the country back into a civil war and called on leaders in Burundi to “demonstrate the sense of responsibility that the situation demands and to place the interests of the Burundian people above any other consideration”.

The AU official also repeated threats of “targeted sanctions” previously made by the union against some of the warring sides’ leaders.

She further voiced the AU’s support for mediation efforts by Uganda.

Burundi, which witnessed a civil war from 1993 to 2005, plunged into turmoil in April, when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his bid to compete for a third term in office.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council will meet on Monday to discuss Burundi as “hate speech” threatens to exacerbate a deteriorating political situation, the French foreign ministry said yesterday.

“At our demand, the UN Security Council will meet on Monday November 9 over the situation in Burundi,” said French foreign ministry spokesperson Romain Nadal, denouncing the wave of “hate speech”, which threatens to inflame the central African country.

Monday’s session will also be attended by representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and members of the African Union, Nadal said.

“France condemns hate speech, as its impact on communities is unacceptable. We call on all Burundian stakeholders, the government and the opposition, to demonstrate restraint and to engage in political dialogue which is the only way to overcome the current crisis,” he said.

The International Crisis Group (ICG) has also warned over the dangers posed by the escalating violence and the “increasingly hardline rhetoric” in Burundi in a report released late on Thursday.

“Burundi again faces the possibility of mass atrocities and civil war,” the Brussels-based think tank warned.

“Escalating violence, increasingly hardline rhetoric and the continued stream of refugees [more than 200 000] indicate that divisions are widening, and the ‘national dialogue’ is doing little to relieve the mounting tensions,” the group said. — Press TV/AFP.

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