Burundi

Burundi: More Than 21 Years Later, Washington Faces Another Problem From Hell

More Than 21 Years Later, Washington Faces Another Problem From Hell The U.S. and its allies failed to stop Rwanda from descending into genocide. With Burundi teetering on the brink, they are facing a new and very dangerous test. By COLUM LYNCH 13 November 2015 Rwanda’s genocide still stands more than two decades later as the starkest symbol of the great powers’ unwillingness to confront mass slaughter in the modern age. Now, the United States

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Burundi on Edge as Diarmament Deadline Passes

Burundi on Edge as Disarmament Deadline Passes By TY MCCORMICK, Foreign Policy 8 November 2015   NAIROBI — Security forces went door-to-door in the Burundian capital of Bujumbura on Sunday to enforce a disarmament deadline that diplomats and analysts warned could tip the already fraught security situation over the edge into widespread violence. Hundreds of soldiers and police deployed to opposition strongholds in Bujumbura, many of which

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Burundi: Conflict Alert

Burundi: Conflict Alert International Crisis Group 5 Nov 2015   Burundi again faces the possibility of mass atrocities and civil war. Escalating violence, increasingly hardline rhetoric and the continued stream of refugees (more than 200,000) indicate that divisions are widening, and the “national dialogue” is doing little to relieve the mounting tensions. According to Crisis Group’s sources as well as media reports, it appears that President

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U.S. Fears Burundi Ultimatum Will Trigger Violence This Weekend

U.S. Fears Burundi Ultimatum Will Trigger Violence This Weekend Reuters, New York Times 5 November 2015 Image: Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza- Copyright: Reuters UNITED NATIONS — The president of Burundi's five-day ultimatum for people to hand over illegal firearms or be treated as enemies of the state may spark extensive bloodshed in the coming days, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said on Thursday. "The United States is alarmed

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Genocide Watch Alert 2015 on Burundi

Genocide Watch Alert: Burundi August 2015   Since its independence from Belgium in 1962, there have been sporadic bursts of ethnic violence between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority in Burundi. Civil unrest erupted in Burundi this year, following the 26th of April announcement by the ruling party Conseil National Pour la Défense de la Démocratie - Forces pour la Défense de la Démocratie (CNDD-FDD) that President Pierre Nkurunziza would run

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Burundi Update: Two Assassination Attempts and the lack of AU response

//   //   Is Burundi really on brink of a bloodbath? Simon Allison, Daily Maverick 04 August 2015   Image: Protestors gather next to rocks strewn on a street in Bujumbura's Niyakabiga district on presidential election day in Burundi, July 21, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings   Two nights in Bujumbura, two assassination attempts on high-profile figures. One succeeded, while the other failed. But together these add up to bad news for the troubled

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Fragile Burundi Casts Wary Eye on Rwanda

Fragile Burundi Casts a Wary Eye on Rwanda Marc Santora, New York Times 03 August 2015 KIGALI, Rwanda — Burundi and Rwanda can seem deceptively like conjoined twins. They share a common history, geography and language, and their populations are divided ethnically between Hutu and Tutsi. Both were devastated by some of the worst mass slaughter of the 20th century. Since the guns fell silent, they have charted very different courses as they try

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Burundi: President Pierre Nkurunziza’s Push for Power Is Marked by Bloodshed

In Burundi, President Pierre Nkurunziza’s Push for Power Is Marked by Bloodshed Marc Santora, New York Times 20 July 2015 Image: Tyler Hicks/The New York Times BUJUMBURA, Burundi — The rebel fighter lay grievously wounded in the mud along a river in central Burundi. With enemy soldiers bearing down, he thought it was the end. But then crocodiles set upon the advancing soldiers. He was saved. It was divine will, he would later say. It is a story

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Burundi: Victory for Governing Party

Burundi: Victory for Governing Party The Associated Press, New York Times 7 July 2015   The governing party won a majority of seats in Burundi’s Parliament, according to provisional results from the vote on June 29, which most opposition groups boycotted. The Electoral Commission chairman, Pierre Claver Ndayicariye, said Tuesday that the party, the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy, had won 77

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Burundi Update: Voices From Burundi

Voices From Burundi: Share Your Experiences Shreeya Sinha, New York Times 26 June 2015   Image: In May, Burundi's army held back protesters in the capital, Bujumbura, during a demonstration against the president’s bid for a third term.CreditJennifer Huxta/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Burundians describe lives under siege: self-imposed curfews, a local news media blackout, fears of being jailed or shot, and worries that their country,

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