Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | A Swiss court has ruled that the remains of Burundi’s deposed king Mwambutsa IV, who died 40 years ago, must stay in Switzerland, ending a drawn out legal battle, local media reported Tuesday. Mwambutsa led Burundi at independence from Belgium in 1962, but was deposed …
Read More »Burundi refugees find hope in ‘at home’ bar in Rwanda
Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | Outside Rwanda’s national stadium is a bar that has become a second home for Burundian refugees fleeing their country’s two-year-old political crisis. The clues are in the name, “Imuhira” meaning “at home” in Burundi’s Kirundi language, in the voices of those who gather on the …
Read More »Inflated egos remain as Burundi enters 3rd year of turmoil
After two years, no end in sight to Burundi’s deadly turmoil Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Two years after Burundi’s president plunged the central African country into turmoil, the regime shows no signs of easing up on a crackdown that has forced hundreds of thousands to flee. The UN estimates …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Lessons from Burundi’s SADC move
EAC member states must do something flying geese do very well: have a leader Burundi’s recent attempt to join the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been blocked. But it raises questions about what EAC member states should do about its cold neighbour. Burundi, which has been a member of …
Read More »700 dead as malaria ‘epidemic’ hits Burundi
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | About 700 people have died from malaria in Burundi so far this year, the health minister said, with the authorities having registered 1.8 million infections in a rising epidemic. “Burundi faces a malaria epidemic,” Josiane Nijimbere said Monday, commenting on a World Health Organization (WHO) report. …
Read More »UN disturbed by torture, forced disappearances in Burundi
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council on Monday said it was disturbed by reports of torture and forced disappearances in Burundi but ignored calls from rights groups for sanctions. A French-drafted statement was adopted unanimously after some wrangling with Russia, China and Egypt, which oppose sanctions. …
Read More »UN warns Burundi’s president over fourth term
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is warning Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza against seeking a fourth term, saying such a move risks deepening the crisis in the African country. In a report obtained by AFP, the UN chief says he is “very concerned” by recent …
Read More »Mediator seeks heads of state summit on Burundi crisis
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The mediator in Burundi’s nearly two-year political crisis on Sunday asked regional leaders to call an urgent summit as deep discord and a government boycott hamper peace talks. Former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa wrapped up four days of talks with some 30 Burundian representatives who …
Read More »Burundi seeks arrest of opposition at Tanzania peace talks
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundi’s government on Friday asked Tanzania to arrest several leaders of the main opposition attending peace talks in Arusha in a bid to resolve a nearly two-year political crisis. The talks are the latest effort by former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa to mediate the crisis …
Read More »Burundi govt again refuses crisis talks with opposition
Mediator Benjamin Mkapa and Burundi’s foreign minister Nyamwite at previous talks.Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundi’s government affirmed Tuesday it will shun peace talks with opposition figures planned for later this week in Tanzania, dragging out a political crisis that has stretched for over a year. The talks are intended …
Read More »