U.N. Peacekeeping
Friday, January 29, 2016 - 06:51
The United Nations said on Friday it had allegations that peacekeepers from Georgia, France and another unnamed country sexually abused children while deployed in the Central African Republic. The alleged crimes, including rapes, mostly committed in 2014, only came to light in recent weeks and the national authorities concerned, as well as the European Union, have been informed and are investigating, it said.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016 - 06:33
Nine months after President Pierre Nkurunziza upended Burundi’s fragile post-conflict peace by announcing he would stand for a third term in office, all indications are the crisis is getting worse rather than better. New evidence of sexual assault by security forces and growing allegations of mass killings coupled with the staunch unwillingness by Nkurunziza’s government to participate in regional talks aimed at resolving the crisis are leaving many to wonder how bad things will get.
Thursday, January 14, 2016 - 06:56
Sending United Nations peacekeepers to Burundi if violence worsens would be a "last resort" because the world body was not equipped to deal with an intense ethnic conflict, said a U.N. memo seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
In the memo to the U.N. Security Council, peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said the U.N. was limited in its ability to combat significant violence in the event no countries stepped up to protect civilians and there was no political process underway.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016 - 06:58
The meeting between AU boss and Dr Mahiga, previously the United Nations representative to Somalia, signifies the urge of Tanzanian Government to end tension and bloodshed that has seen more than 190,000 Burundians flee into Tanzania, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The AU has a policy of regional forces, meaning the East African Standby Force could be sent to Burundi.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016 - 06:50
The United Nations has been grappling with so many sexual abuse allegations involving its peacekeepers that Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon recently called them “a cancer in our system.” Now, officials have learned about what appears to be a fresh scandal.
Monday, January 11, 2016 - 06:59
Hundreds of peacekeepers from Democratic Republic of Congo on a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic will withdraw, a spokesman said on Saturday, after they failed an internal assessment. The historically turbulent former French colony suffered an intensification of violence in 2013 when mostly Muslim rebels known as Seleka seized power in a coup.
Monday, December 21, 2015 - 07:50
Burundi's government said Sunday it would not agree to the deployment of African Union (AU) peacekeepers, warning that they would be seen as "an invasion force". The announcement came a day after the 54-member bloc said it would send a 5,000-strong force to halt spiralling violence in the tiny central African country as fears grow that it is rapidly sliding towards civil war.
Friday, December 18, 2015 - 06:51
The Africa Union has pledged not to allow a "genocide" to take place in Burundi, while a UN human rights assembly has approved a resolution calling for the immediate deployment of experts there to investigate abuses and rein in violence.
Thursday, December 17, 2015 - 06:23
Washington's envoy to the United Nations complained Wednesday that the international body was not doing enough to address the worsening crisis in Burundi.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 - 06:28
Burundi has dismissed criticism of its security forces, saying they acted professionally after insurgents attacked military bases in the capital, and also said there was no need to send foreign peacekeepers to the African nation.