BAN COMMENDS BURUNDI FOR STRIDES IN CARRYING OUT PEACE PACT

BAN COMMENDS BURUNDI FOR STRIDES IN CARRYING OUT PEACE PACT
New York, Jun 2 2009 2:00PM
Burundi has made progress in implementing the 2006 ceasefire pact between the Government and rebels, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said, calling on the small Great Lakes nation to seize the momentum and continue its efforts to improve its human rights situation.

In his latest <"http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=s/2009/270">report to the Security Council on Burundi, Mr. Ban wrote that "significant breakthroughs" have been made since late last year in the peace process, with a Declaration being signed last December between the Government and the Forces nationales de liberation (FNL) which he said "[re-energized] the peace process after months of stagnation."

That agreement called for the start of the group's disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, as well as the political integration of its leadership.

"The renunciation by FNL of armed conflict is a significant development which paves the way for its participation in the democratic process," the Secretary-General wrote in his report.

In April, he welcomed the former armed opposition group's accreditation in Burundi as a political party on the heels of the separation and formal disarmament of its armed wing.

For his part, Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza committed himself in the Declaration to reserving dozens of civil service posts for top FNL members and repeated his pledge to release FNL prisoners.

The Secretary-General's report noted that "commendable progress" has been made in implementing the 2006 Comprehensive Ceasefire Agreement, which ended a brutal four decade-long civil war between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority, and "laying the foundations for holding free, fair and peaceful elections in 2010."

Given these developments, it underscored that Burundi should press ahead with efforts to improve the human rights situation by fighting impunity and consulting on setting up transitional justice mechanisms.

Mr. Ban pointed to impunity, particularly for sexual and gender-based crimes, as a source of serious concern. Also, between December 2008 and March 2009, five people with albinism were mutilated and killed, bringing the total number of albinos killed since last August to 10. One dozen suspects have been apprehended by authorities in connection with those killings.

Given the challenges Burundi continues to face, the report recommended that the mandate of the UN Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB) remain unchanged and that it should continue to focus on the conclusion of the peace progress and supporting peacebuilding efforts.
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BURUNDI: TOP UN OFFICIAL APPEALS FOR HELP IN REINTEGRATING FORMER CHILD SOLDIERS

BURUNDI: TOP UN OFFICIAL APPEALS FOR HELP IN REINTEGRATING FORMER CHILD SOLDIERS
New York, May 28 2009 7:00PM
The Secretary-General's Special Representative on children and armed conflict has called for urgent support of hundreds of former child soldiers recently released from a demobilization centre in Burundi and reunited with their families.

The last 340 former child soldiers, formerly associated with the Forces Nationales pour la Liberation (FNL) rebel militia, who have left the Gitega Demobilization Centre, must receive long-term care to ensure a lasting reintegration into their communities, Radhika Coomaraswamy said in a press release issued yesterday.

She also appealed for the discharge of another 44 children who remain with FNL dissidents in the Randa and Buramata assembly sites, urging the Government to finalize their separation without delay.

"Child soldiers endure traumatizing experiences and their long-tern reintegration must remain a priority of the Government," said Ms. Coomaraswamy.

She called on the Government and the donor community to develop and support long-term reintegration activities for all the children formerly associated with armed groups, noting that a delay in providing socio-economic support could derail the process.

"The promise of peace and tangible support will help them to rebuild their lives," added Ms. Coomaraswamy.

The Security Council has repeatedly voiced its concerns over delays in implementing the 2006 Comprehensive Ceasefire Agreement signed between the Government and the FNL, ending a brutal civil war lasting four decades between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority.

In December, the Council extended the mandate of the UN Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB) until the end of this year to help restore peace in the small Central African country, where the ethnic conflict has killed hundreds of thousands.
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SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS DEADLY ATTACK ON AFRICAN UNION BASE IN SOMALIA

SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS DEADLY ATTACK ON AFRICAN UNION BASE IN SOMALIA
New York, Feb 25 2009 5:00PM
The United Nations today condemned in the strongest terms the suicide attack on the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) base in Mogadishu, which caused the deaths of 11 Burundian peacekeepers and injured 17 others on Sunday.

"The members of the Security Council express their condolences to the families of the victims, to the people and the Government of Burundi, and to the African Union," Ambassador Yukio Takasu of Japan, which holds the Council Presidency for the month, said in a press statement.

"The members of the Council reiterate their condemnation of all acts of violence and incitement to violence against AMISOM" following reports of further attacks yesterday, he added.

The 15-member body reiterated its commitment to supporting a strengthened AMISOM, which it said played a vital role in helping to bring peace and security to Somalia, and commended the Governments of Uganda and Burundi for their contributions.

In its statement, the Council applauded the ongoing political process in Somalia that led to the expansion of Parliament and the election of a new president, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, who has made taken steps to "strengthen the political process and improve security."

Mr. Takasu said that "the members of the Security Council call on all Somalis to reject violence and extremism, to embrace peaceful means of resolving conflicts, and to support the government towards this goal," stressing the body's "determination to combat all forms of terrorism."
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Death of Eleven Burundian Soldiers in Mogadishu

US Department of State: Press Release

The United States strongly condemns the February 22 attack on African Union peacekeepers by a violent extremist fringe in Somalia. We offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the eleven Burundian victims. Our thoughts are also with the fifteen individuals who were wounded. We commend the governments of Burundi and Uganda as well as the African Union for their courage and continued efforts to support the restoration of stability and effective governance in Somalia.

Such acts of terror are the refuge of desperate extremists who aim to strip from the Somali people an opportunity to determine their own future and achieve lasting peace and stability. These acts are also hindering the delivery of critical humanitarian assistance.

We call on all Somalis to support the new unity government led by President Sheikh Sharif and Prime Minister Omar Sharmarke and to reject the violence and extremism intended to prevent Somalia from regaining political and economic stability.

PRN: 2009/148

US Department of State