USA diplomats on Friday pushed for peace talks in Burundi, as the European Union advised non-essential staff to evacuate the central African nation amid an uptick in political rhetoric reminiscent of that preceding Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.
Advertisement
Raising awareness… Dr Simon Adams, executive director of the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, says Australians should be paying attention to what is happening in Burundi.
At least 240 people have been killed in Burundi since protests against Mr Nkurunziza began in April – a few through police action against demonstrators and, more recently, others in targeted extrajudicial killings mainly of those perceived to be in opposition.
An earlier version of the French draft resolution threatened sanctions against individuals behind the violence. It also called on all parties in Burundi to engage in peace dialogue. It reported that the July election that won Mr. Nkurunziza a controversial third term was relatively peaceful and conducted adequately, the overall environment was “not conducive” for an inclusive, free and credible electoral process. “Unforgivably, the best-informed parts of the United States government remained determined to “[view] the escalating violence with a diplomatic prejudice that left them … institutionally oriented” towards Kigali, even though privately they knew that preparations for a wholesale massacre were already well underway.
There are anxieties of a Rwandan-style genocide in Burundi, which likewise has a history of tensions between Tutsi and Hutu ethnic groups.
On the military side, the African Union has asked the East African Standby Force to expedite planning to deploy to Burundi if the situation gets worse.
The cycle of violence started with demonstrations against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s play for a third period. “We are discussing with them and hopefully that will be the core group for this intervention”, he said.
Government spokesman Philippe Nzobonariba said in a statement that Burundi took note of “the reasonable contents of the resolution which is generally speaking in line with what the government has always wanted”, citing dialogue in particular. Nevertheless, he stressed that “the delegation will continue operating normally”. The same ethnic divide fueled the genocide in Rwanda, in which 800,000 mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus were butchered.
This hardline stance has dispirited United Nations leaders who the Daily Telegraph reports admitted that they are not well positioned to prevent an escalation of genocidal violence in the region which has already seen more than 200,000 of its 10 million population flee to neighbouring countries.
Advertisement
Burundi’s crisis has till now broadly followed political lines, with a mix of ethnicities in both camps. The government denies using ethnically divisive language.
