UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council is expressing alarm at reports of torture and extra-judicial killings in Burundi, and the increasing number of people fleeing the East African nation, now totalling over 416,000.
A presidential statement approved yesterday reiterates the council's intention to pursue sanctions against people inside and outside the country "who threaten the peace and security of Burundi."
The council said it remains "deeply concerned" at the political situation and the government's failure to implement a resolution adopted last year calling for the deployment of 228 UN police and human rights monitors. The government has also refused to allow the African Union to send 5,000 peacekeepers.
Burundi has been plagued by sporadic violence since April 2015 when President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision to seek a third term led to street protests.