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AU dispatches high-level delegation to Burundi

Xinhua, May 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

The African Union (AU) has dispatched a high-level delegation to Burundi to help find peaceful solution to the crisis in that country, said a statement from AU on Sunday.

The continental bloc has reiterated its appeal for dialogue and restraint in order to find a consensual solution to the crisis in the country.

As part of AU's efforts to help find a peaceful solution to the current crisis in Burundi and as a follow-up to the relevant decisions of the Peace and Security Council (PSC), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the AU Commission, has dispatched a high-level delegation to Bujumbura, as of Saturday, according to the statement.

Led by Edem Kodjo, former Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), former Togolese Prime Minister and member of the AU Panel of the Wise, the delegation will meet with the relevant Burundian authorities, as well as with other stakeholders, including political parties, civil society organizations and religious leaders.

The delegation will also meet with the representatives of the international community in Bujumbura, and will work closely with the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, Said Djinnit, within the spirit of the AU-UN partnership in the area of peace and security.

Burundi has been hit by protests on the incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third term in power. At least 14 people have died and hundreds have been wounded in protests since April 25.

Dlamini-Zuma reiterated the imperative to reject all forms of violence and to ensure the scrupulous respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, said the statement. Endi