On
Burundi, UNSC
Friday Night
Statement
Talks Youth
Groups,
Enough?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, April
17
-- When
you go to the
UN's 38th
floor these
days, you
might meet a
government
official who
justified the
killing of
unarmed
civilians,
having a photo
op with
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon.
So
it was on
April 14, when
Burundi's
Minister of
the Interior
Edouard
Nduwimana held
a meeting with
Ban, his chief
of staff and
Department of
Political
Affairs
officials.
Inner City
Press went to
the photo op
and
tweeted out a
photo.
After
that, the UN
Security
Council held
closed door
consultations
on Burundi,
after which no
Council member
spoke on UNTV.
UN briefers
spoke to Inner
City Press
off-camera.
And now, past
8 pm on Friday
("garbage
time"), this
from UNSC:
"The
members
of the
Security
Council met on
April 16 to
discuss the
situation in
Burundi. They
took note that
the upcoming
elections are
an extremely
sensitive
issue that has
the potential
to spur
violence
and undermine
the peace
sustained for
almost a
decade in
Burundi, in
the spirit of
the Arusha
Agreement. The
Security
Council called
on
all parties to
prioritize the
preservation
of Burundi’s
fragile and
hard-won
peace. They
welcomed the
recent
engagement by
UN
Secretary-General
Ban, UN High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights Zeid
Ra’ad Al
Hussein,
President
Kikwete, AU
Chairperson
Dlamini-Zuma,
the United
Nations
Electoral
Mission in
Burundi
(MENUB), the
Burundi
configuration
of the Peace
Building
Commission,
with Burundian
authorities.
The
members
of the
Security
Council took
note of the 15
April
statement
by UN High
Commissioner
for Human
Rights Zeid
Ra’ad Al
Hussein
expressing
concern at the
rising
tensions and
calling for
the
government and
security
forces to
clamp down on
the
Imbonerakure
group, for the
opposition and
its affiliated
youth groups
to play a
constructive
and peaceful
role, and for
all parties
not to indulge
in
hate speech,
react
violently to
provocations
or feed the
climate of
fear.
The
members
of the
Security
Council
stressed the
need for the
government
and political
opposition to
refrain from
any acts of
violence and
intimidation
before,
during, and
after
elections and
to actively
support the
conditions for
a peaceful,
timely,
credible and
inclusive
elections
process. In
this regard,
they condemned
the March 15
assassination
attempt
against the
wife of
opposition
leader Agathon
Rwasa. They
also expressed
concern with
the impact of
this situation
on the region,
including
reports of
increased
Burundian
refugee flows
into Rwanda by
persons who
cited a fear
of violence.
The
members
of the
Security
Council noted
their
intention to
follow
closely and to
respond to any
actions in
Burundi that
threaten the
peace,
security or
stability of
Burundi by
actively
facilitating
violence,
including by
reportedly
distributing
weapons to
youth
groups.
They
took
note of
Burundian
government
officials’
stated
commitment to
hold free,
credible,
peaceful and
transparent
elections
according to
the electoral
calendar and
called on them
to make good
on this
commitment.
They also
recalled that
during their
March 13 visit
to
Burundi, many
civil society
organizations
and members of
the
political
opposition
warned of the
likelihood of
elections-related
violence
should prudent
actions not be
taken or
attempts to
restrict
political
space continue
and further
recalled the
necessity for
all
parties to
abide by the
non-violence
charter of
March 9, 2015.
They
also
called on all
parties to
address any
elections-related
concerns
peacefully."
Will
that be enough
to stop it?
After Ban's
meeting,
Inner City
Press was made
aware that
Nduwimana in
March 2013
visited the
Businde hill
where police
had just
killed nine
people, mostly
women and
child. On
video - YouTube here, from Minute
1:41 -
Nduwimana told
the mourners
and survivors,
Now you have
the martyrs
you wanted.
On April 15,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric why
no read-out of
the meeting
had been
given.
Dujarric said
he had
expected one
and would try.
Finally past 5
pm, more than
24 hours after
the meeting,
this:
"The
Secretary-General
met on 14
April 2015
with the
Minister of
Interior of
Burundi, H.E.
Mr. Edouard
Nduwimana. The
Secretary-General
noted that
Burundi owes
its progress
to the spirit
of Arusha and
the
determination
of Burundians
to build a
peaceful,
democratic and
prosperous
nation. They
discussed
recent
developments
ahead of the
general
elections to
be held
between May
and August
this year.
"The
Secretary-General
expressed his
concern about
the rising
political
tensions in
the country
and encouraged
Burundians to
resolve their
political
differences
through
dialogue and
without
resorting to
violence. He
called on the
Government to
ensure that
the security
services
manage
potential
security
incidents with
the utmost
professionalism.
He also
encouraged the
Government to
ensure that
all political
actors are
able to
participate
fully and
freely in the
electoral
process. 'This
would
contribute to
credible
elections and
reduce further
tensions,' the
Secretary-General
said."
Meanwhile,
Dujarric would
not confirm to
Inner City
Press that Ban
has received
this letter,
in French,
from civil
society in
Burundi:
Les
organisations
membres de la
Campagne "
Halte au 3ème
Mandat du
Président
NKURUNZIZA"
ont écrit une
lettre au
Secrétaire
Général des
Nations Unies
et au
Président du
Conseil de
Sécurité pour
leur demander
avec une
grande
insistance de
voter une
résolution sur
le Burundi
pour :
-
Instruire à
l'Armée
burundaise de
désarmer la
milice
IMBONERAKURE
du Parti
au Pouvoir
CNDD-FDD
-
Instruire
l'identification
et
l'arrestation
des chefs de
la milice
-
Instruire à
l'Armée
burundaise de
désarmer toute
autre personne
ou groupe
en possession
illégale
d'arme à feu
De
voter une
résolution
décidant
l'intervention
militaire des
Nations Unies
pour empêcher
la commission
des crimes
contre
l'humanité, du
nettoyage
politique
voire du
génocide
QUE
PERSONNE NE
DISE QU'IL N'A
PAS SU !
We'll
have more on
this.
Eighty minutes
before Ban's
meeting with
Nduwimana, he
met with
Amnesty
International.
Unlike some
other rights
groups who
crave access,
Amnesty
authorized
Inner City
Press, when it
asked, to
report that
the topics
covered were
"the Human
Rights Up
Front
Initiative,
regarding
which several
country
situations
were
discussed, and
the Post-2015
agenda." It is
appreciated.
While Inner
City Press was
asked if
having a
"criminal" in
the UN is
rare, the
reality is
that, for
example, Sri
Lanka's
Shavendra
Silva, named
in Ban's own
report on war
crimes in that
country, was
allowed to
become a UN
Senior Adviser
on
Peacekeeping
Operations,
run by Herve
Ladsous.
Later
on April 14, a
mere 95
minutes later
to be exact,
Ban was to
raise a
champagne or
Prosecco toast
to the UN
Censorship
Alliance,
which hosts
Shavendra
Silva's and
Palitha
Kohona's
screening of
their
government's
war crimes
denial film,
"Lies Agreed
To."
The then
and now
president of
UNCA had been
Kohona's
landlord in
the past.
When Inner
City Press in
writing called
this a
conflict of
interest,
first the move
was to try to
get Inner City
Press thown
out of UNCA --
it quit and
co-founded the
new Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
FUNCA -- then
out of the UN
as a whole.
This is
today's UN,
and its
Censorship
Alliance.
, 
