By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 3 --
In Burundi,
amid a
“closing of
political
space,” human
rights
defender
Pierre Claver
Mbonimpa has
been in jail
for 105 days.
Inner City
Press has
previously
reported on
his case, here
and elsewhere,
and has asked
(repeatedly)
about it at
the UN.
Mbonimpa is
now sick.
On
September 3
Inner City
Press asked US
Ambassador to
the UN
Samantha Power
about
Mbonimpa, and
relatedly
about the
reports of
Burundi's
ruling party
arming its
youth wing. Video here, and embedded (with
Libya
question)
below, with US Mission
transcript.
Samantha
Power
replied that
she has raised
the
imprisonment
of Mbonimpa
with Burundi's
leadership,
publicly and
privately.
(Inner City
Press
previously
asked
Ambassador
Power about
Burundi at a
Security
Council question
and answer
stakeout
of the type
the new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
urges all
Security
Council
presidencies
to hold after
closed door
consultation
sessions.)
“I
suppose the
situation on
the ground has
not changed
materially,”
Ambassador
Power said,
“since we last
engaged on
this... the
closing of
political
space, the
walking away
from aspects
of the Arusha
Accords.”
During
the recent
African
Leaders Summit
in Washington
she and other
US officials
raised the
issues, she
said. The US
“wants the UN
to maintain a
role on the
ground in the
coming weeks
as we approach
the
elections,”
she said.
Inner City
Press has
reported on
Burundi using
the “persona
non grata”
process to
expel UN
staff.
Ambassador
Power
noted that the
Security
Council has
held more
meetings about
Burundi this
year than in
any other
analogous
period. One
wonders, will
this continue
up to the
election?
After? Watch
this site.
Updated
with US
Mission
transcript:
MODERATOR:
Last question
is Matthew.
QUESTION:
Matthew Lee,
Inner City
Press. Thanks
for the
briefing and,
on behalf of
the Free UN
Coalition for
Access, hoping
for question
and answer
stakeouts
after
consultations
to hear what
happened and
ask you about
it... On
Burundi, I
know that you
visited there,
and I wanted
to know what’s
the status of
the UN looking
into
allegations
that the
ruling party
was arming its
youth wing and
trying to get
the release of
this human
rights
defender,
Mbonimpa, who
is, I believe
still in jail
after several
months.
Thanks.
AMBASSADOR
POWER:On
Burundi, I
personally
raised the
case of the
human rights
defender and
lawyer that
you mentioned
many, many
times publicly
and privately
with the
Burundian
leadership. I
think the – I
suppose the
situation on
the ground has
not changed
materially
since we last
engaged on
this. We still
have real
concerns about
the closing of
political
space, the
walking away
from aspects
of the Arusha
Accords, which
have been the
foundation on
which
Burundi’s
stability and
peace and
reconciliation
have been
predicated.
All of those
concerns
remain, and
they were
raised by
myself and by
other American
officials in
the African
Leaders Summit
when President
Nkurunziza
visited not
long ago.
The only thing
I can say I
guess beyond
that at this
point is that
we are also
deeply
committed to
ensuring that
the UN
maintains a
role – an
important role
on the ground
in Burundi in
the coming
weeks,
particularly
as we approach
the elections,
which are
likely to be a
very tense
time, given
what the
government has
done against
opposition
parties, and
given that,
again, the
circumstances
for civil
society and
the opposition
have grown
much more
difficult in
recent weeks.
We don’t have
reason to
expect that
things are
suddenly going
to open and
that’s going
to create
tension, and I
will note that
the Council, I
think, has met
more on
Burundi in
recent months
than probably
in any other
analogous
period.
So again, this
is something
that I think
we have made
our views as a
council and we
have made our
views
bilaterally
speaking by
national
capacity very
well known to
the Burundi
authorities at
a very
combustible
time. Thank
you,
everybody.
, 
