Press. voanews.com
The United Nations says that nearly two years since
the election crisis in Burundi, the country is still at risk of intensifying
its problems. Speaking Thursday to the U.N. Security Council, the
secretary-general's special adviser, Jamal Benomar, reported that Burundi was
still struggling with a fragile security environment; soaring unemployment,
especially among youth; and deterioration of the humanitarian situation.
He also underscored that the political impasse had
only deepened in the two years since President Pierre Nkurunziza sought what
many viewed as an unconstitutional third term in office. Perhaps most
troubling, he said, is the worsening human rights situation.
"Many Burundians live in fear as a result of
widespread repression and increasing intimidation by the Imbonerakure, the
ruling party's youth militia," Benomar said. "Members of opposition
political parties, as well as perceived opponents, reportedly continue to be
victims of arbitrary arrest, detention, ill treatment and enforced
disappearances."
Benomar said 3 million Burundians need humanitarian
assistance, a quarter of the population. Since the crisis erupted in 2015,
nearly 400,000 people have fled the country, and the U.N. refugee agency
projects that number will reach 500,000 by year's end.
International police force
In July 2016, the Security Council authorized a
228-member international police force to deploy to Burundi to prevent human
rights violations and provide stability for an intra-Burundian dialogue. The
government has continued to reject the council's decision, and the force has
been unable to deploy. Former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, who is the
facilitator for the opposing sides, told the council via a video link from
Entebbe that the parties were far apart, despite intensive efforts to bring
them together.
"Each side claims to be the depository or the
custodians of the Arusha agreement [which ended the country’s civil war and
created a power-sharing agreement between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority]
and the constitution," he said. "And the tendency is to see other
side as the criminals, and therefore they are the ones who should be visited
with all the wrath of the power of the state or the power of the international
community."
Benomar expressed his frustration with the Burundian
government, saying the United Nations had tried to engage with Bujumbura but
"the doors to engagement and cooperation have been largely shut by the
authorities."