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Security Council condemns killing of Burundi opposition leader

Xinhua, May 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

The United Nations Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the killing of the leader of a Burundi opposition party in Bujumbura, capital of Burundi.

Zedi Feruzi, chairman of the Burundian Union for Peace and Development (UPD-Zigamibanga), was shot dead Saturday by unidentified people when he was walking home in Bujumbura's Ngagara district.

The crime came days after opposition protests against the third term bid of Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza in the June 26 presidential election. Feruzi was one of protest organizers.

The members of the Security Council also condemned the grenade attack in Bujumbura's central market on May 22 that left two people dead and many others injured, according to a statement issued Sunday.

The Security Council expressed their deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. They urged the Burundian authorities to swiftly bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice, according to the statement.

The members of the Security Council reiterated their call on all Burundian stakeholders to demonstrate their sense of responsibility and exercise calm and restraint in the interest of peace and reconciliation in Burundi.

The relevant parties in Burundi on Thursday resumed their political dialogue in a bid to resolve their differences through peaceful means in talks facilitated by the UN secretary-general's special envoy for the Great Lakes region, Said Djinnit.

Burundi has been in turmoil since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced on April 25 that he will run for a third term, which is in defiance of the country's constitution that limits the president to two terms in office. He also rejected calls to delay the elections set for June. Endite