Brussels, 09/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Union is concerned at the worsening of the crisis in Burundi, where the violence and abuses are increasing. It fears unrest in the whole region and calls on all the parties for restraint.
On Monday, the UN Security Council was due to meet, at the request of France, in order to assess the situation in Burundi, whilst in the EU preparations were continuing for the organisation of political consultations with the authorities of Burundi under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement (see EUROPE 11418).
“In the face of the recent declarations that risk greatly aggravating the situation, the EU calls for responsibility and restraint from all. The incitation to violence and division is a further threat to the country's stability and security”, said the spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini during the evening of Friday 6 November.
Louis Michel MEP (ALDE, Belgium), who co-chairs the ACP-EU joint parliamentary assembly, warned on Friday of a risk of genocide. “The threat of genocide in Burundi calls for strong and urgent action from the EU and international community. I urge the international community to take the necessary measures to avoid a new genocide in the Great Lakes region”, he said, adding that the “incendiary speeches aggravating the current tension” are “intolerable”, as are “the incitation to violence and massacres on the part of the public authorities”.
Gianni Pittella MEP from Italy, who leads the S&D Group at the European Parliament, called for cooperation between the EU and African Union in order to seek a solution. “The escalation of violence risks setting the whole Great Lakes region on fire (…) The European Union and African Union must cooperate to find a solution that can put a stop to the violence in the country”, he said, expressing his group's trust in “the full commitment of the high representative”.
After a formal letter of invitation was sent to Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza on 26 October, the political consultation that is due to be held in Brussels to try and remedy the violations of human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law, is expected to take place at the start of next month. “We are in the process of setting a date. The meeting must be high level. That would rather be the start of December. The date is still to be confirmed”, a senior official told EUROPE. It is expected to be with the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU, the European Commission, the secretariat of the Council and the secretariat of the ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) group of states. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)