The UN will support all possible options to help stabilise Burundi, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Sunday.
The UN scribe was apparently retreating from his previous strong backing for AU peacekeeping troops to be deployed in that country.
He told journalists on the sidelines of the AU heads of state and government summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that the AU Peace and Security Council’s (AU PSC) proposal in December to send in 5000 peacekeeping troops to quell political violence in the country was just one of the options.
He said he had backed this proposal to the UN Security Council.
But he also noted that this force had not been agreed to by the Burundian government.
The decision by the AU PSC in December has been shot down by the heads of state at the summit, according to official sources, though no official announcement had been made by the time Ban spoke.
His remarks on Sunday evidently reflected this major climb down by the AU.
Ban had praised the AU for the decision to deploy troops in his speech at the start of the summit on Saturday.
He said it had sent a clear signal of the AU’s seriousness about dealing with the crisis.
“I would support all possible options which can help in contributing to peace and stability and protecting human rights in Burundi,” he said on Sunday.
“But it is up to the African Union in consultation with the Burundian government with regards to what methods should be deployed.”
He said though, that the dialogue in Burundi had not yet yielded the desired results and it had become a source of great concern, “not only in the mission, but in the continent and the world”.
The situation in Burundi had been deteriorating and many people had been killed; and about a million had been displaced internally or forced to flee the country as refugees.
“Almost every day we see violence,” he said.
The UN had deployed a “small political mission” to help facilitate dialogue, and he had urged African leaders to speak in one voice.
The longer the situation continued the more people would be affected.
Ban said he had met Burundi’s Second Vice-President Joseph Butore and Foreign Minister Alain Aime Nyamitwe on Saturday night and had noted that Burundi had been a top priority at the AU summit.
He commended members of the East African Community (EAC) and the AU for their diplomatic and consistent efforts to bring peace and stability in Burundi.
The UN had been urging Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza, in particular, to engage in inclusive dialogue, listening carefully what the concerns and aspirations of Burundian people were, Ban said.
The crisis erupted in Burundi last April when Nkurunziza announced his plans to run for a third term, despite the two-term limits in the constitution. (ANA/NAN)
The UN scribe was apparently retreating from his previous strong backing for AU peacekeeping troops to be deployed in that country.
He told journalists on the sidelines of the AU heads of state and government summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that the AU Peace and Security Council’s (AU PSC) proposal in December to send in 5000 peacekeeping troops to quell political violence in the country was just one of the options.
He said he had backed this proposal to the UN Security Council.
But he also noted that this force had not been agreed to by the Burundian government.
The decision by the AU PSC in December has been shot down by the heads of state at the summit, according to official sources, though no official announcement had been made by the time Ban spoke.
His remarks on Sunday evidently reflected this major climb down by the AU.
Ban had praised the AU for the decision to deploy troops in his speech at the start of the summit on Saturday.
He said it had sent a clear signal of the AU’s seriousness about dealing with the crisis.
“I would support all possible options which can help in contributing to peace and stability and protecting human rights in Burundi,” he said on Sunday.
“But it is up to the African Union in consultation with the Burundian government with regards to what methods should be deployed.”
He said though, that the dialogue in Burundi had not yet yielded the desired results and it had become a source of great concern, “not only in the mission, but in the continent and the world”.
The situation in Burundi had been deteriorating and many people had been killed; and about a million had been displaced internally or forced to flee the country as refugees.
“Almost every day we see violence,” he said.
The UN had deployed a “small political mission” to help facilitate dialogue, and he had urged African leaders to speak in one voice.
The longer the situation continued the more people would be affected.
Ban said he had met Burundi’s Second Vice-President Joseph Butore and Foreign Minister Alain Aime Nyamitwe on Saturday night and had noted that Burundi had been a top priority at the AU summit.
He commended members of the East African Community (EAC) and the AU for their diplomatic and consistent efforts to bring peace and stability in Burundi.
The UN had been urging Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza, in particular, to engage in inclusive dialogue, listening carefully what the concerns and aspirations of Burundian people were, Ban said.
The crisis erupted in Burundi last April when Nkurunziza announced his plans to run for a third term, despite the two-term limits in the constitution. (ANA/NAN)
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