By RFIPalled on 04-09-2019Modified on 04-09-2019 at 22:43
After the League of Human Rights, it is the UN commission of inquiry that sounds the alarm. In her report, she worries about a "climate of fear and intimidation" in the country, eight months of presidential, parliamentary and local elections.
People missing when they had no political affiliation, others because they refused to join the ruling party or the famous Imbonerakure , young CNDD-FDD.
On 45 pages the commission of inquiry of the UN describes what it qualifies as " climate of fear ".
A campaign of intimidation that would have spread from the capital to the rural areas and would target everyone. " Local authorities use the Imbonerakure. For example, they ask them to check that there are no illegal night meetings. They arrive, they knock on the door and they often abduct a son, a husband and at the same time they beat the woman, often with sexual violence. We do not know what happened to the one who has disappeared. We do not dare to ask questions in the detention centers because it is likely to attract attention and moreover, it brings absolutely nothing because there are no effective investigations , "says Françoise Hampson is one of the authors of the report.
Impossible in this context to have free elections, says the commission of inquiry that calls on the UN Security Council and neighboring countries to pressure Burundi to improve the human rights situation .
The Burundian authorities claim that this commission exaggerates and darkens the picture. For the ambassador to the UN, Burundi should be on the contrary welcomed because the outgoing president will not stand for a new mandate.
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