Burundi on Edge of Violence Ahead of 2020 Elections, UN Warns

(Bloomberg) -- Burundi could plunge into violence with less than a year to go before elections, as arrests, intimidation and disappearances of opposition members continue, according to a United Nations report.

Youth aligned to the ruling party known as Imbonerakure are the main perpetrators and operate with the consent of security and administration officials, according to the report released Wednesday. The investigators were neither allowed into the country, nor given any cooperation by authorities, it said.

“Imbonerakure often act alone, sometimes in the presence of police, National Intelligence Service or local government officials,” the UN said. “They enjoy great freedom conferred by the Burundian authorities, who have the means to control them, and operate with almost total impunity.”

The report is politically motivated and should be disregarded, the president’s communications adviser, Willy Nyamitwe, said on Twitter.

“We are no longer interested in responding to the lies and fake news by some Westerners, who obviously seek the destabilization of Burundi,” he said.

The ruling CNDDFDD party’s spokeswoman, Nancy-Ninette Mutoni, said on Twitter that the report is biased and full of Western imperialist propaganda against Burundi.

Burundi expects to hold elections in 2020, five years after the start of political turmoil that some human rights groups say left more than 1,200 people dead. UN agencies estimate another 390,000 fled to neighboring countries.

Burundi says the crisis is over and has arranged with neighboring Tanzania to repatriate citizens sheltering there, a move criticized by the UN’s refugee agency.

To contact the reporter on this story: Desire Nimubona in Bujumbura at dnimubona@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Malingha at dmalingha@bloomberg.net, Helen Nyambura, Jacqueline Mackenzie

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