Burundi: Opposition asks UN to send peacekeepers quickly

| November 23, 2015

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A prominent Burundi opposition politician is urging the United Nations to send peacekeepers quickly to help deal with rising violence, after the UN Security Council discussed ways to boost its presence in the country last week.

Charles Nditije is head of the opposition UPRONA group in Burundi. He welcomes the UN Security Council’s push for dialogue, but says, “We deplore … that they didn’t decide to deploy peace enforcement forces in the near future. We also regret that they didn’t agree on sanctions.”

Smail Chergui is the African Union’s Commissioner for Peace and Security. He says, “It is only through dialogue that we can have real impact on the situation in Burundi.”

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Photo: A man runs past a burning barricade on a rock strewn street in Bujumbura’s Niyakabiga district on Presidential election day in Burundi, July 21, 2015. Credit: REUTERS/Mike Hutchings