“Don’t come”. That was the message of Burundi’s government to the African Union over plans to send 5,000 peace keepers to the tiny country.
In a statement on Sunday, Burundi said it would not agree to the deployment of African Union (AU) peacekeepers, warning that any such move would be seen as “an invasion force”.
“Burundi is clear on the matter: it is not ready to accept an AU force on its territory,” deputy presidential spokesman Jean-Claude Karerwa said.
“If AU troops came without the government’s approval, it would be an invasion and occupation force, and the Burundi government would reserve the right to act accordingly.”
Burundi has been embroiled in violence in recent weeks over the third term for President Pierre Nkurunzizi. No fewer than 100 people were massacred in the last one week, fuelling fears of another civil war.
*Reported by AFP
Leave a Reply