The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Thursday that could pave the way for peacekeepers to be deployed to Burundi after months of violence raised fears of Rwanda-style mass killings.
The French-drafted measure strongly condemned the wave of killings, torture, arrests and other rights violations in Burundi and called for urgent talks between the government and the opposition to end the crisis.
The resolution requested that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon present options to the council within 15 days on “the future presence of the United Nations in Burundi” to help end the crisis.
UN officials are drawing up plans to rush UN peacekeepers from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Burundi, or deploy a regional force under the African Union, if the violence spirals out of control.
Taking the lead, France on Monday circulated a text that threatened sanctions against Burundian leaders who incite attacks or impede peace efforts.
But the final measure was watered down, stating instead that the council was prepared to consider “appropriate measures” without specifying that targeted sanctions were on the table.
“The Security Council must fully embrace its role of prevention… and not let the genie of ethnic violence out of the bottle,” French Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters.
Burundi has been rocked by killings, torture and illegal detentions since President Pierre Nkurunziza launched a controversial bid to prolong his term in office in April.
International alarm over the crisis in Burundi has been mounting after repeated appeals to Nkurunziza to enter into a dialogue with the opposition fell on deaf ears.
The United Nations, European Union and African Union agreed to convene a meeting between Burundi’s government and the opposition to be held outside the country, in Uganda or Ethiopia.
At least 240 people have been killed and more than 200,000 Burundians have fled the country.