Highlight
The United Nations human rights department said on Tuesday 10th November 2015 that the department is not fully prepared should the current unrest in Burundi plunge the East African country into an inter-ethnic crisis.
Summary
The United Nations has admitted that unlike during the Rwanda genocide, it is less equipped to handle any crisis in Burundi, forecasting the possible damage that may accrue to fighting and killings should the country not manage her internal squabbles.
This comes only a day after France pleaded with Burundi to tame the increasing violence in the country. France has been a close western ally of Burundi and now threatens sanctions against those perpetrating violence.
The UN human rights official Scott Campbell warned that the UN’s lack of peacekeeping presence in the country means it is less able to help.
The department said that it presently has no troops ready to deploy in the East African country should the situation deem the move dire.
And President Pierre Nkurunziza has advised authorities to use any means possible to withdraw arms from the public domain and to deal with those he has labeled enemies of the government.
According to analysts, Burundian authorities have the authority to conduct law enforcement and security operations to seize illegal weapons.
However, under international law, security forces are obliged to ensure that they only use force that is proportionate to a legitimate threat. Coercions have been analyzed as to only spike the already wanting strife.
Analysts prescribe the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials to Burundian Authorities. The principles set out the limits on the use of force.
