Friday, June 03, 2016

Burundi’s President Gives Southern Rebels Two Weeks to Surrender
Desire Nimubona
Bloomberg
June 2, 2016 — 9:17 AM EDT

Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza gave armed groups behind an upsurge of violence in the country’s southwestern Mugamba region two weeks to surrender.

“Those who shot here are among you, you know them, call them and tell them that they must lay down weapons,” Nkurunziza said after meeting officials in Mugamba, in comments broadcast on Radio Isanganiro. “If they refuse, they will face the determination of the security forces.”

The governor of the wider Bururi province, Christian Nkurunziza, said on the same station that at least 20 people have died at the hands of armed groups since January in Mugamba, while authorities have killed about 30 of the militants.

The violence is part of the broader unrest that’s gripped the landlocked East African country and left more than 470 people dead since April 2015, when the president decided to stand for re-election, a move his opponents said was unconstitutional.


Burundi leader gives rebels two weeks to surrender

Burundi’s president Pierre Nkurunziza has given an ultimatum to rebels to surrender in a fortnight.

The insurgents who operate in a southern district of the capital Bujumbura are considered by the government as the last rebels in the war torn country.

In a broadcast on the country’s national television, Nkurunziza said if the rebels fail to give themselves up in fifteen days he will launch a serious crackdown on them, saying, ‘‘know that for this we are ready to use the same methods as in 2010…We will bring security.”

Know that for this we are ready to use the same methods as in 2010.
This is not the first ultimatum given to rebels in the East African country. In 2010, the government carried out a crackdown on insurgents opposing the presidential poll.

The United Nations and Human Rights organisations denounced the brutality of the security forces and massive violations of human rights.

Burundi has been mired in a year-long crisis. Since president Pierre Nkurunziza announced his bid for a third term in office, more than 400 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have fled the nation to neighbouring countries.

AFP

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