Johannesburg – A formal investigation into alleged war crimes in Burundi got the green light from the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday, just weeks after the east African country withdrew from the UN body.
There was “a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation in relation to crimes against humanity,’’ including murder, rape and torture between 2015 and 2017, the court said in a statement.
“The Chamber noted that, according to estimates, at least 1,200 persons were allegedly killed, thousands illegally detained, thousands reportedly tortured, and hundreds disappeared,’’ the statement added.
Burundi became the first country to withdraw from the ICC in October, with the government accusing the organisation of bias and saying it only goes after African leaders.
Other African nations have made similar complaints, with both Gambia and South Africa having threatened to leave.
Burundi was plunged into a political crisis in 2015 after President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a third term.
Security forces have since been “responsible for numerous killings, disappearances, abductions, torture, rape, and arbitrary arrests’’, according to Human Rights Watch. (dpa/NAN)