Security Council Statement on Burundi by Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

New York, 18 March 2016

Mr. President,
Excellencies,

I thank you for this opportunity to discuss my continuing and grave concerns regarding the human rights situation in Burundi.

Despite some positive signals by the Government in recent weeks, following visits by a delegation from this Council, by the Secretary-General, and by five African Heads of State and Government, as well as two visits by Assistant Secretary-General Simonovic and the most recent visit of independent experts at the request of the Human Rights Council, these signals have yet to be followed up with strong and consequential action to engage real reconciliation.

After a court hearing of their case, 47 detainees who were arrested almost a year ago have been provisionally freed this week. These 47 were on the list of 125 detainees suggested by my Office for immediate release. We see this as an indication that some effort is being made to re-establish rule of law. I strongly urge the release of all others on the list, especially political prisoners. The Government has further pledged to release some 2,000 prisoners.

The Government has also taken steps to ensure that one fully independent radio-station can operate. A second radio which has also reopened is not independent of the Government. This gesture is encouraging, but falls well short of full freedom of expression and information.

The Government cooperated with the team of independent experts mandated by the Human Rights Council during its first visit to Burundi earlier this month. The experts met with military, police and intelligence officials, in addition to victims and some representatives of civil society. The secretariat of the independent expert team is due to arrive in April for a four-month deployment, but the Government's approval is still pending. It is crucial that this investigative team be permitted to operate.

Despite these indications of limited progress in some areas, serious human rights violations continue. My Office, which has presences in Bujumbura, Gitega, Makamba and Ngozi, has detected no indication of any decline in reports of arbitrary arrests and detention (140 cases recorded this month so far, most of which were arbitrary).

Moreover, although numbers are clearly imprecise, we are seeing increased reports of torture and ill-treatment since the beginning of January. During a recent visit by my staff to some detention centres in Bujumbura, it appeared that almost half the detainees had been tortured or ill-treated, some seriously.

Despite the recent initial steps towards the operation of a few independent media outlets, critical or independent voices remain severely restricted. Political opponents continue to be subjected to intimidation and arrests. Six days ago, 16 leading members of the FNL opposition party were arrested in Kirundo province by police, assisted by “Imbonerakure” militia members associated with the ruling party. On 9 March, Hugo Haramategeko, one of the few national opposition figures to remain in the country, was also arrested.

Civil society continues to operate within an extremely limited space, with activists suffering judicial harassment, arrests and torture, as well as violence and intimidation by agents of the State or militia associated with the Government.

Since the violent events of December – involving an armed attack against three military camps around Bujumbura, followed by reports of particularly brutal crackdowns by security forces in a number of neighbourhoods – two separate armed groups opposed to the Government have emerged. Two members of the ruling CNDD-FDD party were killed by gunmen on Monday. Grenade attacks are almost a daily occurrence – some thrown at police or military targets, and others indiscriminately tossed into at crowds of people. Last month Médecins sans Frontières treated more than 115 people wounded by grenades in the course of just four days.

I am very deeply concerned by the lack of progress in investigating into the multiple serious human rights violations that have been reported over the past year. I take note of the recently released report of the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Ministry of Justice and led by the Prosecutor-General to investigate allegations of extrajudicial killings during the events of 11 December 2015. However, I urge further and much more credible investigations into the multiple alleged mass graves in the country, as well as into the torture, sexual violence and killings that were reported in December and many other serious allegations.

Mr President,
Continued human rights violations, and impunity for perpetrators, mean that many of Burundi's people live in terror. The country remains on the brink of a sudden escalation of violence to even more massive proportions.

We have already seen hundreds of people killed, thousands detained, and over a quarter of a million Burundians fleeing to neighbouring countries. The crisis has devastated Burundi's economy, compounding the human rights violations suffered by the people; UNICEF reports that the number of children admitted for severe acute malnutrition in Bujumbura doubled between October and December 2015. The crisis has also created a major humanitarian emergency, and contributes to destabilising the Great Lakes region, with major implications for regional peace and security.

I note that the European Union, which is Burundi's largest aid donor, announced earlier this week that it would no longer issue funds through or to the Government. This action was taken in line with article 96 of the EU-ACP trade agreement, which concerns suspension of development cooperation when essential elements such as respect for human rights and the rule of law are violated.

Mr President,

This Council has clearly recognised the urgency of the situation in Burundi. I encourage you to continue to incite the Government to take significant steps towards real reconciliation and inclusive national dialogue.

Half-measures will not heal the wounds that Burundi's people have suffered. There must be an end to disappearances, arbitrary arrests, extra-judicial killings and torture, and clear and public moves to hold to account perpetrators – including agents of the State and members of armed groups associated with the ruling party. These steps are vital to restoring public confidence and to replacing Burundi on the path towards development, security, and respect for human rights.