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Burundi: Thousands Protest AU Plan to Deploy Peacekeepers
[ABCNEWS.GO] Thousands of supporters of Burundi's president Saturday protested against the African Union...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... 's plan to deploy 5,000 peacekeepers to quell the country's escalating unrest. Burundi has been rocked by turmoil since April when it was announced that The demonstration in Bujumbura, the capital, was led by Vice President Gaston Sindimwo who insisted that Burundi's army is capable of halting violence and protecting all Burundians. Other protests were in Ngonzi province, Nkurunziza's hometown and a stronghold of the ruling party. Burundi will never accept the African Union's forces, Sindimwo said. "Burundi is a member of the African Union and has not accepted those forces. How can they say the AU has decided, yet Burundi has not accepted?" he asked. "We would like to warn AU troops that the majority of Burundians don't want them and they should not impose themselves on the people of Burundi," Alice Nakuto, a member of the ruling party's militia known as Imbonerakure and who took part in demonstrations in Ngonzi province, told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named by phone. Earlier this month 87 people died when three military installations were attacked by rebels who said this week they are fighting to topple Nkurunziza. At least 400 people have died in Burundi's violence since April and some 220,000 have fled to neighboring countries, according to the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... Burundi's government has rejected the A.U.'s plans to deploy peacekeepers, describing it as an invasion force. Posted by: Fred 2015-12-27 |
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