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Dire Situation in Burundi Must Remain on Human Rights Council Agenda
2 MINUTE READ
October 2, 2015

Burundi – Technical Cooperation and Capacity Building for Burundi in the Field of Human Rights
As delivered by Ambassador Keith Harper

It is critically important that the dire situation in Burundi remain on the Council’s agenda. We appreciate the work of the African Group, the European Union, and the delegations of Burundi and France, among others, who brought this resolution to the Council.

The United States is pleased to join consensus on the resolution on Burundi.  With the passage of this resolution, the Human Rights Council draws attention to the serious human rights situation in Burundi.

We believe continued high-level engagement by the African Union and the United Nations, and positive action by all states in the region, are critical to bring Burundi back from the path of violence.  We continue to support accountability for those responsible for human rights violations and abuses and for those who undermine stability in Burundi.

As reflected in OP10, we remain deeply concerned with reports of violence in Burundi, and we call on the Burundian government to cease any unlawful violence against people in Burundi.  And while there is no international legal obligation to prevent all violence and intimidation, we encourage Burundi to take appropriate steps to protect against unlawful violence and intimidation by non-state actors.