Burundi rejects new UN mediator
(VOVworld) – On Sunday the Burundi government told a United Nations mediator to step down, just two weeks after he was sent to help resolve Burundi’s political crisis.
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United Nations mediator Abdoulaye Bathily. (Photo: .afrikareporter.com)
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Abdoulaye Bathily was sent to Burundi last month to replace UN mediator Said Djinnit, an Algerian diplomat, who quit after being branded as too pro-government by civil society activists. The new envoy angered the government side by allegedly having failed to present himself to the authorities, instead focusing on meeting diplomats and the opposition.
The crisis in Burundi surrounds President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid to stand for a third consecutive five-year term in office, a move branded by opponents as unconstitutional and a violation of a peace deal signed in 2006 that ended years of civil war. 70 people have been killed in two months of protests. There are fears the current crisis could plunge Burundi back into civil war.