{Burundi might be compelled to retrieve their troops on the AMISOM peacekeeping mission in Somalia, if the political tensions at home do not subside soon.}
This comes after Unites States; the biggest facilitators of the mission said they would not continue supporting the Burundi forces under the current political climate.
The Obama government holds that continued instability and violence in Burundi, and in particular the commission of human rights abuses by security forces, jeopardizes Burundi’s ability to continue to contribute to the AMISOM peacekeeping mission.”
Stability is still far from reach in the East African nation, even after President Pierre Nkurunziza returned home yesterday following a failed coup d’etat by his top security officials.
The president is expected to proceed with preparations for this month’s elections despite being discouraged by the African Union and the International Community.
His bid for a third term in office sparked weeks of street violence in which more than 20 lives were lost.
Many Burundians are scared and continue to leave the country as fast as they can.
More than 100,000 Burundians have fled the country, fearing violence if Nkurunziza insists on this course of action.
The spokesperson of the opposition has already called for the resumption of street protests and by yesterday morning, street barricades had reappeared in the Musaga district of Bujumbura.
The United States last night released a stern warning that Nkuruziza should desist from organizing the election.
“The United States believes the Arusha Agreement that ended Burundi’s horrific civil war must remain the foundation for the country’s stability and post-war reconciliation. The decision by Burundian President Nkurunziza to Disregard the Arusha Agreement to run for a third term has created instability and violence,” read part of the statement.
Disregarding this, the US said it would discontinue its military support to the Burundian forces.
“The United States stresses that, under U.S. law, we cannot provide military training or assistance to military units that commit gross violations of human rights.”
“We support the recent decision by the African Union to delay the next deployment of Burundian troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and note that continued instability and violence in Burundi, and in particular the commission of human rights abuses by security forces, could jeopardize Burundi’s ability to continue to contribute to the AMISOM peacekeeping mission.”
Burundi has over 5000 soldiers in Somalia as part of African Union peacekeeping mission in the country, and its contingent is the second largest after Uganda.
The country was also the second to deploy troops into Somalia, its first soldiers having arrived in Mogadishu in December 2007.
Based in Baidoa, the contingent is primarily responsible for operations in Sector 3, which covers Bay and Bakool regions but also maintains troops in Sector 1 where they work closely with the Ugandan forces.
A few days ago, a retired Somali general Abdullahi Adan Iro also warned that the current Burundi turmoil would affect Somali’s peace efforts and called international quick response to restore order in the East African nation.
{{Source: Chimpreports}}
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