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United Nations

UN Security Council Unanimously Adopts Resolution to Prevent Potential Genocide in Burundi

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The United Nations Security Council has taken a significant step in addressing the escalating crisis in Burundi, unanimously adopting a resolution to prevent what some fear could be a Rwanda-like genocide. The resolution calls for urgent talks between the government and opposition, and lays the groundwork for the deployment of peacekeepers to stop the killings. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, "We know that in the worst case what we are talking about is a possible genocide and we know that we need to do everything that we possibly can to prevent that."

Key Takeaways:

  • The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on November 12 to prevent a potential genocide in Burundi, with calls for urgent talks between the government and opposition.
  • The resolution requests that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon present options to the council within 15 days on the future presence of the United Nations in Burundi to help end the crisis.
  • UN officials are considering two options: rushing UN peacekeepers from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Burundi, or deploying a regional force under the African Union.
  • International leaders, including the EU and African Union, have issued a joint call for a dialogue between representatives of Burundi's government and opposition in Addis Ababa or Kampala.
  • At least 240 people have been killed since President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid to prolong his term in office in April.
  • More than 210,000 people have fled the country since then.

Statistics:

  • 240: The minimum number of people killed since President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid to prolong his term in office in April.
  • 210,000: The number of people who have fled the country since President Nkurunziza's bid to prolong his term in office.
  • 15: The number of days within which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to present options to the UN Security Council on the future presence of the United Nations in Burundi.

Sources:

  • Catholic Information Service for Africa/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX (November 16, 2015)

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