On
Burundi, UNSC
Elements to
the Press
Don't Say Coup
or Sanctions,
Of IMF
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, May 14,
with video
-- Amid the
protests and
crackdown
after Pierre
Nkurunziza was
nominated to
run for a
third term as
President in
seeming
violation of
the Arusha
Peace Accord,
on May 13
General
Godefroid
Niyombare
announced the
ouster of
Nkurunziza
while the
latter was,
like UN envoy
Said Djinnit,
in Tanzania
for the East
African
Community
meeting.
After
a closed door
meeting of the
UN Security
Council early
Thursday
afternoon, the
Security
Council's
President for
May,
Lithuania's
Permanent
Representative
Raimonda
Murmokaite
read out
“elements to
the press,"
the weakest
form of
Council
action.
“The members
of the
Security
Council were
briefed by the
Secretary
General’s
special envoy
to the Great
Lakes region,
Said Djinnit,
about
developments
in Burundi.
Members of the
Security
Council
condemned
violent unrest
in Burundi and
specifically
condemned both
those who
facilitate
violence of
any kind
against
civilians, and
those who seek
to seize power
by unlawful
means,” she
said, notably
not using the
word "coup."
(Moments
later, Al
Jazeera
English
reported that
the UN Security
Council had
"condemned the
coup.")
“The members
of the
Security
Council called
on all parties
not to resort
to violence
and to
prioritize
peace and
security. The
members of the
Security
Council called
for the swift
return to the
rule of law
and holding of
credible
elections in
the spirit of
the Arusha
agreements.
The members of
the Security
Council
reaffirmed
their full
support to the
efforts of
United Nations
special envoy
Said Djinnit,
the African
Union and East
African
Community,”
Murmokaite
continued.
Inner City
Press asked
Murmokaite if
Djinnit is in
any contact
with General
Niyombare; she
relied about
Djinnit
expressing an
intention to
return to
Burundi.
“The members
of the
Security
Council
expressed
their intent
to respond to
violent
attacks in
Burundi that
threaten peace
and security.
Members of the
Security
Council have
expressed
their
intention to
remain seized
of the
matter,” she
concluded. The
words
sanctions or
"measures"
weren't used.
Nkurunziza's
failure to yet
return to Burundi
is due not
only to
control of the
airport --
sources tell
Inner City
Press that the
pilots of the
plane he used
were unwilling
to fly to a
closed
airport. The
sources say
Nkurunziza
sold the
country's
airplane and
now rents.
Likewise the
sources tell
Inner City
Press that
Team
Nkurunziza
withdrew $9
million from
the country's
"Contingent
Owned
Equipment"
fund for
serving as
peacekeepers
in Somalia:
where are
those funds
now, they ask?
On
May 14, Inner
City Press has
asked the
International
Monetary
Fund's
spokesperson
Gerry Rice at
the IMF
biweekly
embargoed
briefing:
"On Burundi,
after the
IMF's
announcement
of $6.9
million in the
run up to
elections, now
with General
Godefroid
Niyombare
saying Pierre
Nkurunziza is
no longer in
power, what is
the status of
the IMF's
funds and
program, when
will it be
reviewed?"
Rice
took this
question and
replied that
the "IMF is
following the
current
developments
in Burundi
very
closely.
The
Fund-supported
program that
was recently
approved, it's
fair to say
that given the
current
security
situation, the
timing of our
next
discussions
with the
authorities
has yet to be
determined."
Tw weeks
ago on April
30, the IMF
told Inner
City Press on
Burundi
"Many thanks
for your
question.
Please see our
line
below:
'We are
continuing to
monitor
developments
in Burundi.
Regarding the
ECF-supported
program that
was recently
approved, our
next meeting
with the
authorities is
tentatively
scheduled to
take place in
June, at which
time we will
assess
progress
toward the
completion of
the 7th
review.'"
So, no
more June?
Watch this
site.
On
May 15, the UN
Peacebuilding
Configuration
on Burundi is
set to hear
from UN DPA
chief Jeff
Feltman.
(Inner City Press
asked Feltman
about it on
the morning of
May 14; he was
not aware).
On Monday they
heard from
Minister
Nduwimana -
where is he
now?
Inner
City Press was
told by one
member of the
Configuration
that they will
be going to
Burundi. Watch
this site.
Inner City
Press sources
have told it
that France's
Ambassador to
Burundi had
been telling
the opposition
they should
just accept
the third
term,
allegedly in
exchange for
other
"reforms." Now
this.
On
May 12, Inner
City Press had
asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric
Inner
City Press: I
wanted to ask
one follow-up
on
Burundi.
There's been a
decision or
announcement
by a number of
European
countries to
not actually
pay funds they
were going to
pay for the
upcoming
elections.
Since there's
a UN electoral
mission there,
is that… what
does the
mission think?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
I'll get a… I
have not
gotten
anything from
them.
That's today's
UN.
On
May 11, the UN
Peacebuilding
Configuration
for Burundi
met and sought
answers from
Burundi's
minister by
video.
Asking
questions were
Swiss
Permanent
Representative
Paul Seger and
his
counterparts
from Belgium
and Tanzania,
Ambassador
Manongi, as
well as the
UK's Deputy
Permanent
Representative
Peter Wilson.
France, the
penholder on
Burundi in the
UN Security
Council, did
not send its
Permanent
Representative
Francois
Delattre nor
his Deputy
Alexis Lamec.
Questions were
raised about
the armed
youth wing,
the crackdown
on media, the
outward flows
of refugees.
The responses
were generally
dismissive --
Wilson
wondered aloud
at the
disparity
between the
Minister's
denials on the
youth wing and
all other
available
information --
and on press
freedom,
troubling.
Media is
political, the
minister said,
justifying the
crackdown.
But
what will come
next? Later on
May 11, the US
issued a travel
warning on
Burundi
saying among
other things
that "Armed
groups operate
in Burundi...
Exchanges of
gunfire and
grenade
attacks have
increased but
are usually
not directed
at
foreigners."
It's that kind
of thinking
that the
ruling party
seems to be
counting on.
Watch this
site.
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