On
Burundi, Ban
Spoke with
Museveni &
AU, Silent on
Mbonimpa
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 3 -- As
in Burundi the
crackdown on
those opposing
or even
questioning
the third term
for Pierre
Nkurunziza
continued, now
threatening to
increase after
the killing of
Adolphe
Nshimirimana,
on the evening
of August 2
the US State
Department
issued a
statement,
while the UN
and Ban
Ki-moon
remained
silent until
noon on August
3.
Even
then, Ban
praised
Nzkurunziza;
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
Nkurunziza's
security
forces beating
and torturing
journalist
Esdras
Ndikumana. Video here.
Ban's
spokesman said
the UN was
aware. But why
wasn't it
included in
Ban's
statement
praising
Nkurunziza?
After that,
the attack on
Pierre Claver
Mbonimpa. How
long will it
take Ban's UN
to speak on
that?
Later on
August 3, the
UN put out
this
"read-out" of
Ban's work on
Burundi, still
with no
mention of
Mbonimpa:
"The
Secretary-General
held a
conference
call today
with H.E. Mr.
Yoweri Kaguta
Museveni,
President of
the Republic
of Uganda, and
H.E. Dr.
Nkosazana
Dlamini-Zuma,
Chairperson of
the African
Union
Commission, to
discuss the
situation in
Burundi.
The
Secretary-General
reiterated his
strong
condemnation
of the
killing, this
weekend, of
General
Adolphe
Nshimirimana
and expressed
his concern
over its
implications
for security
in Burundi. He
expressed his
full support
for President
Museveni’s
efforts to
facilitate an
inclusive
political
dialogue in
Burundi on
behalf of the
East African
Community.
The
Secretary-General
called for the
swift
resumption of
the dialogue
to defuse
mounting
tensions and
pave the way
for the
formation of a
government of
national
unity. It was
agreed that
the United
Nations, the
East African
Community and
the African
Union should
continue
working
closely
together in a
coordinated
and unified
approach to
find a
sustainable
solution to
the crisis in
Burundi."
We'll stay on
this.
, 
