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BUJUMBURA. —The United Nations envoy Said Djinnit has quit his role as mediator in the Burundi crisis, following requests from the opposition which accused him of being “biased”.

“He (Said Djinnit) is stepping down from his role as a facilitator but remains engaged with respect to Burundi as part of his role of UN special envoy to the Great Lakes region,” Vladimir Monteiro, spokesman for the UN Electoral Observation Mission told Xinhua on Thursday.

The opposition accused Djinnit of being siding with the government in talks between the two sides over the crisis sparked by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s third-term bid — allegations that the UN envoy rejected.

“Djinnit is not taking any advice from the opposition. His facilitation was praised by the UN Secretary-General, the African Union, the European Union, the East African Community and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region,” said Monteiro.

The talks, which started on May 5, were supposed to resume this week with two major issues — the president’s re-election bid and an end to protests — on the agenda, but now the opposition has demanded a new UN mediator.

The UN and other regional organisations hope the talks can create conditions for fair, credible and peaceful elections in Burundi, according to the spokesman.

Burundi has been in turmoil since April 25 when Nkurunziza, who has been in power since 2005, announced that he will run for a third term in the upcoming elections, despite warnings at home and abroad. — Xinhua/AFP.