UN, regional bodies pledge to join hands to end deterioration of crisis in Burundi

The United Nations and the regional organizations in Africa and Europe on Thursday vowed to end the deterioration of the current crisis in Burundi.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, African Union Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini issued a joint statement on Burundi on Thursday.

In the joint statement, they expressed alarm over the widening divisions, the threat for many more lives and a deep regional crisis, and pledged to work closely together and to mobilise all our means and instruments to prevent a further deterioration of the situation.

They agreed on the urgency to convene a meeting of the Burundian government and opposition representatives in Addis Ababa, or Kampala under the chairmanship of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

No effort can be spared to achieve an end to the violence and to foster a political solution, said the leaders.

Also on Thursday, the UN Security Council called on all parties in Burundi to engage in peace talks, warning of further action against those who incite more violence in the Central African country, where a recent upsurge has threatened hard-won stability after decades of ethnic strife and could lead to "potentially devastating consequences" for the entire region if it persists.

Unanimously adopting a new resolution, the 15-nation UN body called on the Government to protect human rights and cooperate with regional African mediators to immediately convene "an inclusive and genuine inter-Burundian dialogue" to find a peaceful resolution of the crisis that erupted after President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a controversial third term earlier this year. Enditem