Burundi Government Walks Out on UN Review

The Burundi government recently walked out of a review conducted by the UN Human Rights Committee. Multiple human rights abuses have been cited against the country, including the murder, rape and exile of its citizens. The public meeting was scheduled to discuss these abuses and more that were covered in Burundi’s country report.The committee has expressed regret over their decision, but the review went on as planned. The government’s decision to walk out deprives them of the opportunity to have constructive dialogue to improve the country’s human rights violations.

The delegates’ reasoning for walking out was that they objected to members of civil society being present. These members included activists, journalists and human rights defenders. The Burundi government declared these people to be criminals, but the committee insisted that people who had been accredited by the UN Human Rights Office must be allowed to attend the meeting. 

Reports have stated that the Burundi security forces and governing youth party have committed human rights abuses against its citizens. During the civil unrest between April 2015 and May 2017, at least 1,200 people were killed and more than 400,000 were displaced. President Évariste Ndayishimiye came to power in June 2020, and has expressed desire to stop the abuses that happened under his predecessor. 

In spite of this statement, there has been little improvement. Civil society members have been arrested on baseless charges. Violent acts have still been documented by international and Burundian rights groups. There have been reports of armed groups, which have led to the deaths of innocent civilians. Many civil society members fled the state due to exile, and many Burundians remain refugees. If the government wants to improve its human rights violations, they should be clear by communicating with the public and with international organizations.

Photo Credits: Lukasz Kobus - Edited by GorStra Team