UN chief calls for regional efforts to resolve Burundi crisis

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Friday said regional leaders need to join efforts to help resolve the crisis in Burundi following the country's coup attempt.

Speaking with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta over the phone, Ban emphasized the need for leaders in the region to join efforts and the need for inclusive dialogue in Burundi's current situation, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told a daily briefing.

Burundi was plunged into chaos Wednesday as former head of Burundi's National Intelligence Major General Godefroid Niyombare announced in a radio station that the army had overthrown the president and stakeholders were working on a transitional government.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 105,000 people have fled Burundi to neighboring Tanzania, Rwanda and to the province of South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The number of new arrivals has risen sharply in Tanzania over the last few days, with local immigration authorities reporting that more than 50,000 Burundians are living rough on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, and that at least 10,000 people more are reportedly waiting to cross the border, said Haq.

Ban plans to speak to Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza and other leaders in the coming days, according to the spokesman.

Nkurunziza returned to the country's capital of Bujumbura Friday. According to the Burundian government, three generals of the Burundian army and police who plotted the failed coup have been arrested.

Nkurunziza's bid for a third-year term has sparked unrest in the country, where at least 17 people have been killed in protests- turned-clashes since April 26. Endite