Statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein on Burundi via videolink to the Security Council

9 November 2015

Mr. President,
Excellencies,

I regret to report my deepening concern regarding the increasingly grave human rights crisis in Burundi. In addition to the rising death toll, I must alert this Council to warning signs of further escalation, including potentially very serious regional repercussions. The country is at another crucial and extremely dangerous tipping point, and I believe that Member States, and this Council, can intervene effectively to prevent the repetition of past horrors.

Within Burundi, and particularly in Bujumbura, there have been documented increasing numbers of extrajudicial killings documented in recent months, including multiple alleged political assassinations. At least 240 people have been killed since protests began in April, with bodies dumped on the streets on an almost nightly basis. There have been hundreds of cases of arbitrary arrest and detention in the past month alone, targeting members of the opposition, journalists, human rights defenders and their families, people attending the funerals of those who have been killed, and inhabitants of neighbourhoods perceived to be supportive of the opposition.

I am glad to note that the intervention of my Office, in cooperation with the Burundian authorities, resulted in the release of 340 detainees last month. However, people who express divergent views from the government continue to live in a climate of intense fear. The abduction and murder, just three days ago, of 25-year old Willy Nzitonda,  son of a well-known human rights defender, Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa, is one very recent, and painful, example. Mr. Mbonimpa was himself badly wounded during an attempt on his life in August, and his son-in-law, another human rights defender, was killed last month. 

Many credible allegations of torture have been documented, notably at a locality in Bujumbura run by the SNR intelligence service. Violations have also been reported on the part of national police, and by the heavily armed API police unit that was created in September to fight against “acts of terrorism”. The Imbonerakure militia associated with the ruling party continues to terrorize the population, sometimes in collaboration with the police, and perpetrates human rights abuses with total impunity. Specific neighbourhoods have been locked down by police, with reports of gun-battles. Unidentified, but apparently well-armed and organised individuals opposed to the government are also committing killings.

Fear of this violence, and the spectre of more bloodshed, are driving ordinary Burundians out of their homes. There are now well over 280,000 internally displaced people and refugees across the Great Lakes region. To make matters worse, it is reported that armed groups are recruiting in some refugee camps in neighbouring countries, and that agents of the Burundi government are also present to identify opponents. These and other signs of a suddenly escalating regionalisation of this crisis lead me to emphasise that host countries must ensure the camps are duly protected and remain civilian in nature.

President Nkurunziza announced the opening of a process of national dialogue in September, but I regret to report that to date it has fallen short of the truly inclusive discussion that would effectively put the country back on a path to peace. Repeated killings of opposition leaders, human rights defenders and their families sharply undermine the government's verbal commitments to reconciliation. So do recent requests for the arrest of members of the opposition and human rights defenders in exile in Europe, and a tone of intense hostility in public statements.

Last week, as we just heard from the Under Secretary for Political Affairs, President Nkurunziza set an ultimatum for Burundians to hand in all weapons, warning that those who would not do so would be dealt with as “enemies of the nation". This ultimatum has led many Burundians to flee their neighbourhoods for fear of police sweeps and crackdowns. Earlier today, one policeman and four civilians were reportedly killed in the Musaga neighbourhood of Bujumbura. Recent inflammatory remarks by members of the Government have suggested that this crisis, which has involved targeting people for their perceived political affiliations, could increasingly take on an ethnic dimension. The President of the Senate recently ordered local authorities to identify “elements which are not in order” and to report them to the police for them to be dealt with. He also called on the police to get ready to finish the work.

Phrases such as these recall language that this region has heard before, and should not be hearing again. They could signal the imminence of much worse, and more widespread, violence. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has recently and rightly reaffirmed that anyone who incites or engages in acts of mass violence in Burundi may be subject to prosecution by the her Office. I strongly support her statement.

The crisis in Burundi has been escalating for many months. The resulting loss of life, economic collapse, increasing hunger, and mass displacement do not only threaten peace and stability in the country, but also across the region. The individuals responsible – regardless of their rank, position, or political affiliation –  must be held to account, and all possible influence must be brought to bear to halt what may be an imminent catastrophe. None of us can forget the waves of killings that generated such horrific loss of life and mass displacement in this region two decades ago.

I believe that the strong interventions of many officials and States in recent days may have great influence. I urge neighbouring countries in the Great Lakes to step up their attempts to promote a credible and inclusive political dialogue in Burundi, and to ensure that border areas or refugee camps in their respective national territories are not used by any actors to fuel the conflict.

I welcome the investigation to be carried out by the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights in Burundi, and the African Union's efforts to address impunity by placing 100 human rights observers on the ground. It is essential that the international community is able to respond swiftly and decisively if events deteriorate further. I urge the Burundi Government to sign a memorandum of understanding with the AU for its human rights observers to operate in Burundi, as well as to allow the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights to do its work and make its report public as soon as possible.

Moreover, although the efforts of Burundi's neighbours and regional partners will be essential, I also believe it is the responsibility of this Council to address a situation of profound concern, well-known for many months, and which could lead to even greater carnage. I appeal to you to keep Burundi at the top of your agenda, and to explore all possible options to prevent further violence, including steps to freeze the assets of those who incite or engage in violence, and possible travel bans. The Council may also wish to consider invoking Chapter VII of the Charter, to stop the ongoing violence and prevent a regional conflict.  The Government of Burundi should be apprised of the very serious consequences that will ensue if it fails in its duty to protect all Burundians, regardless of their political opinions or other affiliations.

I also ask the Council, and all Member States, to give financial and political support to the AU's efforts to conduct human rights investigations in Burundi, and to assist the cause of peace. My Office will be discussing how best to provide our support to the African Commission investigation this week.

It is essential that an inclusive dialogue take place among all stakeholders in Burundi, in accordance with the Arusha Agreement which put an end to 12 years of massacres and warfare. This dialogue should be led in coordination with the mediation process. The urgent disarming of the Imbonerakure militia and all those who illegally possess arms must figure high on the agenda. Against long-standing claims by the Government that armed militia do not exist within the Imbonerakure, there is indisputable evidence to the contrary. If the Government has any hope in reining in the violence, it needs to begin by disarming the Imbonerakure militia and ensuring that police and SNR who have been responsible for human rights violations are brought to book.

It is also vital that all opinion leaders realise that speech which incites to violence must be avoided at all costs. What is needed is leadership and strong voices calling for restraint, accountability and reconciliation.

The current crisis has already undone much of Burundi's recent political, economic and social progress. The international community – in particular this Council ­– contributed significantly to those gains. But their main driver was public confidence in the stability and safety of the country. The Government must urgently take public and concrete steps to restore this confidence, which is essential to prevent recourse to violence and to return Burundi to the path of peace, national harmony and development.