25/10/2018 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 25 October, the EU Council renewed, by written procedure, the EU restrictive measures against Burundi until 31 October 2019. These measures consist of a travel ban and asset freeze against four persons whose activities were deemed to be undermining democracy or obstructing the search for a political solution to the crisis in Burundi. These activities include acts of violence, repression or incitement to violence and acts which constitute serious human rights violations, the Council states. The four persons are Godefroid Bizimana, the deputy director general of the national police, Gervais Ndirakobuca, the head of cabinet of the presidential administration, Joseph Niyonzima, an agent in the national intelligence service, and Leonard Ngendakumana, a former general in the army. The Council considered that the absence of progress in the situation regarding these four persons justified the prolongation of the sanctions. (CG)