Johannesburg- The United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU), said on Thursday that they were alarmed over the spiraling political violence in Burundi.
The international organisations also urged a meeting of the east African country’s government and opposition to stop the violence.
In a joint statement signed by UN Deputy Secretary General, Jan Eliasson, AU Chairwoman, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and EU Foreign Policy Chief, Federica Mogherini, the meeting could be held in Addis Ababa, Kampala or Uganda.
The statement said the organisations had discussed Burundi during a summit on migration held in Malta on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Alarmed by the widening divisions, the threat for many more lives and a deep regional crisis, we pledged to work closely together.
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“This is to mobilise all our means and instruments to prevent a further deterioration of the situation”, the statement said.
Burundi has been gripped by violence since April, when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would seek a third term in office, despite the constitutional two term limit.
The president defied violent protests to win a July election that was boycotted by the opposition.
Human rights activists say more than 200 people have been killed since April in protests, clashes between police and government opponents, politically motivated killings and grenade blasts.
The violence has fuelled fears of a repetition of the 1993 to 2005 civil war, which left 300,000 people dead. (dpa/NAN)
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