Ban Ki-moon to Burundi to sort out the crisis

The Secretary General of the UN Ban Ki-moon arrived Monday in Bujumbura to try to find a solution to the crisis in Burundi where armed violence continued with new grenade attacks in the capital.
The head of the UN, which is the first visit to Burundi since the country plunged into a serious political crisis in April 2015, should attempt Tuesday to convince President Pierre Nkurunziza to open talks with the opposition of crisis, currently stalled.
Hundreds of supporters of the government, many of whose members Imbonerakure, the youth league of the ruling party, had been transported by bus on the road from Bujumbura airport to the hotel where will reside Secretary General of UN, on the shore of Lake Tanganyika.
By meeting with President Nkurunziza Tuesday, Ban is expected to meet with officials of political parties, NGOs based in Burundi and the Foreign Minister Alain-Aimé Nyamitwe.
“This is a very important visit because we hope the UN Secretary General will punch its weight on President Pierre Nkurunziza to finally accept an inclusive dialogue and unconditionally with all its opposition,” said AFP a senior UN official, who requested anonymity.
Ban will also meet with the President of Burundi “massive violations of human rights observed since the beginning of the crisis,” said a Western diplomat in Bujumbura.
“We hope it will convince him to accept a genuine international investigation into these allegations,” he added.
Burundi was plunged into a deep political crisis since the end of April 2015 candidacy of President Nkurunziza to a third term, which he obtained in July.
More than 400 people have been killed since the beginning of the crisis, which has forced more than 240,000 Burundians in exile, while thousands more have been arrested and that the police are accused of extrajudicial killings .