EXCLUSIVE: Nkurunziza’s spokesman denies Burundi rights abuses
- 5 years ago
Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza’s spokesman Gervais Abayeho has dismissed reports by the United Nations of ethnic killings in the country.
Abayeho has termed as “unsubstantiated” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein’s statement Friday that Burundian security forces were violating human rights and targeting Tutsi’s in retaliation for attacks on military bases in December.
“These are reports which to us are unwarranted, baseless and which have not been substantiated. We call on everybody who would like to visit Burundi to come to see the situation first hand on the ground; see that these claims are false,” he said in an exclusive interview with Capital FM News in Nairobi.
He said it was hypocritical of the UN to use Burundian forces – whom they accused of human rights violations – in peace keeping missions on the continent.
“It’s quite a contradiction that Burundi is the most contributing nation for peace keeping operations on the continent. We have about 6,000 soldiers in Somalia and we have soldiers in the Central African Republic and I think there have been requests for Burundi to send troops to South Sudan,” he said.
Abayeho has termed as “unsubstantiated” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein’s statement Friday that Burundian security forces were violating human rights and targeting Tutsi’s in retaliation for attacks on military bases in December.
“These are reports which to us are unwarranted, baseless and which have not been substantiated. We call on everybody who would like to visit Burundi to come to see the situation first hand on the ground; see that these claims are false,” he said in an exclusive interview with Capital FM News in Nairobi.
He said it was hypocritical of the UN to use Burundian forces – whom they accused of human rights violations – in peace keeping missions on the continent.
“It’s quite a contradiction that Burundi is the most contributing nation for peace keeping operations on the continent. We have about 6,000 soldiers in Somalia and we have soldiers in the Central African Republic and I think there have been requests for Burundi to send troops to South Sudan,” he said.