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UN Commission Warns of Likelihood of Genocide in Burundi

Lisa Schlein

   GENEVA - The U.N.Commission of Inquiry on Burundi saidWednesdaythatthe
   country, following years of political turmoil,wasprimed for a genocide.
   The commission's warning, contained in itslatest report onhuman rights
   inBurundi,wasbased on an analysis developed by the U.N. Office for the
   Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect.
   The three-member panelfoundthateight common risk factors for criminal
   atrocities leading to a possible genocidewere present in Burundi.
   Factors includedan unstable political, economic and social environment;
   a climate of impunity for human rights violations;a weak judicial
   system;and the absence of an independent press and freedom of
   expression.
   Commission member Francoise Hampson saidthe criteria identified by the
   Genocide Prevention Committee indicatedthat in countries where these
   factorswere present, therewasa risk the situation could deteriorate.
   "On top of that, our own report shows the continuation of violations of
   human rights law based on human security," she said. "So, things like
   arbitrary killings, torture, arbitrary detention. And this year, a
   deterioration '¦ freedom of expression, freedom of association. Now
   that is actually already getting worse compared to last year."

   Nkurunziza campaign
   Burundi has been in turmoil since President Pierre Nkurunziza ran for a
   third term in 2015, defying critics who said he was violating
   constitutional term limits. Violence prompted more than 300,000 to flee
   the country.
   Hampson saidthe crisis in Burundiwasessentially a political one. She
   notedthat targeting people because of their political affiliation does
   not come within the definition of genocide,according to the Genocide
   Conventions.

   However, she said, "There are elements on occasion where there is an
   ethnic dimension. There are sometimes taunts of people in detention.
   And, there have in the past been the chants of theImbonerakure[the
   youth wing of the ruling party]when they have been gathering, which
   have got hateful content."
   The U.N. report documentedwidespread human rights violations by
   theImbonerakure, including intimidation and harassment of political
   opponents, activists, journalists and human rights defenders.
   After the report's release on Wednesday,WillyNyamitwe, a senior adviser
   to Nkurunziza, tweeted a message that said, "[1]Burundi is no longer
   interested in responding to lies and manipulation of opinion on the
   part of some Westerners whose aim is to destabilize Burundi."

References

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