Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on behalf of Liberal International, Africa Liberal Network (ALN – LI cooperating organisation) Vice-President Medard Mulangala warned of the quickly escalating humanitarian crisis in Burundi and called on the global human rights body to provide peace-keeping support in order to restore peace and security in the country.
We call on all UN voices to exert all of their diplomatic, logistical and financial influence for the rapid deployment of peace-keeping troops to Burundi. The African and international community cannot, and must not, sit by and allow for more violence to take place.
Further Mulangala stressed that the mediator of the Burundian conflict, the Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, must do everything in his power to commit the political protagonists without reservation (civil and armed movements) to engage as soon as possible in a frank, sincere and inclusive dialogue to find sustainable solutions for the restoration of democracy, peace and harmonious development in Burundi.
Former Vice-President of the Republic of Burundi and LI VP Alice Nzomukunda (ADR, LI full-member) has sent her personal gratitude for the overwhelming amount of support provided by the international liberal family for the resolution of the crisis in her country saying:
I want to thank Liberal International and the Africa Liberal Netowrk for this initiative and hope that my country will finally recover and restore peace and security on the ground.
In a resolution adopted by LI 60th Congress in Mexico City, the LI membership urged the government of Burundi to respect the Arusha Agreement and the Constitution, deeming the third term of President Nkurunziza as legally questionable and condemning all acts of violence perpetrated against citizens and repression of freedom of expression.
The ALN General Assembly also adopted a resolution on the deteriorating situation in Burundi in January 2016 and building on this, LI issued a subsequent joint statement calling on African leaders to intervene in the crisis.
