Burundi rights 'catastrophic'

2005-02-10 20:41

Bujumbura - The human rights situation in Burundi is "catastrophic," a United Nations official said on Thursday.

"In the reports that I receive, not a day goes by without cases of murder, rape, brawls or abuse," said Ismael Diallo, human rights chief for the UN operation in Burundi (ONUB).

"There is no day without such cases in the hills of Burundi and what is worse is that it is armed men who perpetrate these acts on defenceless civilians," he said.

Although Diallo did not offer specific statistics of such abuses, he accused the Burundi Armed Forces, rebel and ex-rebel groups of being the chief perpetrators.

Six of Burundi's seven rebel groups have signed ceasefire agreements with the government and of the country's 17 provinces, 16 are now peaceful.

But the country continues to struggle to recover from the war that killed some 300 000 people mostly civilians according to UN estimates and is still in a transitional phase with elections scheduled for May.

ONUB was formed last year to support and help implement the efforts undertaken by Burundians to restore lasting peace and bring about national reconciliation.

"If we have an army and a police force, the UN security presence is not meant to forcefully instill human rights," he said, appealing for Burundi's community leaders to join with local media and others to hold the country to higher standards.

"By combining our efforts, we can make the country's authority to take decisions that will ensure respect of human rights," Diallo said.

- AFP