BUJUMBURA,
Burundi — Civic groups in Burundi on Tuesday rejected a U.N.
facilitator of talks between the government and those opposed to a third
term for President Pierre Nkurunziza, saying they feel he supports a
third term doubt.
Several
civic groups have written a joint letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon expressing opposition to the role of Algerian diplomat Said
Djinnit, according to Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, a leading rights activist
here.
A spokesman for Ban has already said the U.N. chief fully supports Djinnit's efforts to end Burundi's political crisis.
Willy
Nyamitwe, a presidential spokesman, said Tuesday the rejection of
Djinnit is evidence of the opposition's "lack of maturity."
Burundi
has been hit by political unrest since the announcement April 25 that
Nkurunziza would seek a third term in office, which many see as
unconstitutional. The country's constitutional court has ruled in favor
of him, however.
Protesters
say Nkurunziza's bid for a third term is illegal because the
constitution only allows for two five-year terms after popular
elections. Some protesters are vowing to stay on the streets until
Nkurunziza says he will not run. At least 20 civilians have been killed
in clashes with police who have used a combination of tear gas, water
cannon and live ammunition.
A youth militia, the Imbonerakure, affiliated with the ruling party is accused of harassing opponents.
Zeid
Raad al-Hussein, the U.N. human rights chief, said Tuesday the
Imbonerakure's actions "could tip an already extremely tense situation
over the edge." He said his office has received "consistent testimonies"
indicating that Imbonerakure members operate under instructions from
the ruling party and with weapons, vehicles and sometimes uniforms
provided by police and intelligence services.
Zeid
said Burundian authorities must "show their commitment to peace by
clearly disassociating themselves from their violent supporters" and
ensure they are accountable for any crimes.
No comments:
Post a Comment