Beijing on Friday was quick to welcome the news from Burundi, where the constitutional court has confirmed May 20 presidential election results that will put Evariste Ndayishimiye into office, replacing outgoing President Pierre Nkurunziza but maintaining power for the CNDD-FDD party. “We believe that under the leadership of President Ndayishimiye,…
High-level officials in Burundi say they strongly reject the conclusions of a United Nations report released Wednesday, one that expressed concern over risks associated with human rights concerns as the volatile nation moves toward 2020 elections. The report, completed by a team of UN experts including Doudou Diène of Senegal…
Burundi’s antagonism towards United Nations investigators and the UN human rights agency has spanned the years since President Pierre Nkurunziza insisted on a third term in 2015, touching off a political and humanitarian crisis in the small east-central African nation. Now the government has forced the closure of the…
The nation of Burundi hasn’t commanded much international attention since May, when President Pierre Nkurunziza successfully pushed through a referendum that would allow him to remain in power through 2034. Yet the human rights situation there remains dire, according to the World Report 2019 released Thursday by the Human Rights…
Burundi has again pushed back at the findings of a United Nations human rights investigation released Wednesday that found grave violations continue in the small African nation, including summary deaths, torture, sexual violence and arbitrary arrest. Government spokesman Willy Nyamitwe, a senior advisor to President Pierre Nkurunziza and member of his…
The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into any crimes and atrocities committed in Burundi will go forward, despite the fact that the small African nation has withdrawn from the Rome Statute that allows for ICC jurisdiction. ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said Thursday that the authorized investigation into Burundi war crimes…
Domitien Ndayizeye, the former president of Burundi, says he is taking seriously threats made against him by speakers for the Imbonerakure militia during a massive weekend rally in Bujumbura. Ndayizeye, who was succeeded by current President Pierre Nkurunziza in 2005, told Burundi’s independent Radio Publique Africaine (RPA) that the threats made…
A widely circulated video of Burundi youth in the Imbonerakure militia chanting slogans about raping and killing their political opponents has met with condemnation from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said Tuesday that the video of the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the ruling…
A report issued Thursday by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization calls for sanctions against individuals in Burundi responsible for summary executions, torture and other serious human rights violations. The HRW appeal follows an investigation and interviews with more than 20 victims, human rights activists and other witnesses who described…