UN backs Burundi force as Africa leaders debate troops

Addis Ababa – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned African leaders on Saturday of the need for action in troubled Burundi at a summit hoping to end armed crises across the continent.
African Union leaders face an unprecedented vote on deploying a 5 000-strong peacekeeping force despite Burundi’s vehement opposition, but Ban was clear troops were needed to stem violence.
“Leaders who stand by while civilians are slaughtered in their name must be held responsible,” Ban said, adding the crisis in Burundi required the “most serious and urgent commitment”.
He said the UN backed the AU’s proposal “to deploy human rights observers and to establish a prevention and protection mission” in Burundi.
Talks at the AU Peace and Security Council, attended by presidents and foreign ministers from across the 54-member bloc, stretched late into Friday night in an attempt to narrow positions before the formal summit began on Saturday.
AU commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma opened the summit by commemorating AU peacekeepers killed in “efforts to silence the guns”, amid fierce backroom debate on whether to send a new force to Burundi.
Talks on the possible peacekeeping deployment are being held behind closed doors and it is unclear when a vote may be taken.
While the official theme of the African Union (AU) meeting is human rights, leaders are again dealing with a string of crises across the continent during two days of talks at the organisation’s headquarters in the Ethiopian capital.