The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday calling for dialogue and an end to violence in Burundi, threatening sanctions and a possible enhanced UN presence in the country, according to dpa. The resolution comes amidst growing concern over escalating violence prompted by Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza's April announcement that he would seek a third term in office, despite a constitutional two-term limit. Nkurunziza went on to defy violent protests to win a July election that was boycotted by the opposition. The French-drafted resolution calls for "inclusive and genuine inter-Burundian dialogue" and threatens to "consider additional measures," if the politically motivated violence continues. Francois Delattre, French ambassador to the UN, said the resolution plans for all contingencies, including rapid troop deployment if necessary, but noted the council must focus on preventing further escalation. "The council must fully embrace its role of prevention - this is a key word and its duty - and not let the genie of ethnic violence out of the bottle," Delattre said. Matthew Rycroft, British UN ambassador, praised the council's unanimity on the issue and said it must use all the tools at its disposal, warning that the worst case scenario was a "possible genocide." Burundi's population is made up of the majority Hutu, the minority Tutsi and the marginal Twa ethnic groups. It has experienced decades of intermittent ethnic violence since its 1962 independence from Belgium. The current escalation has fuelled fears of a repetition of the most recent 1993-2005 civil war, which left 300,000 people dead. UN presence in the country has gradually decreased since its peak in 2005, when more than 5,600 UN peacekeeping troops were deployed to support implementation of a 2000 agreement to end ethnic violence. Currently, a UN electoral observation mission is deployed in Burundi. Samantha Power, US ambassador to the UN, said one option would be shifting UN peacekeepers from their mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She noted, however, that moving a mission between countries was "a complicated piece of business." "I want to stress, our goal is not to have to get to that point," Power said. "But our primary objective, of course, is to ensure that Burundi does not descend into mass violence." Earlier Thursday, the UN, the African Union and the European Union said in a joint statement that they were "alarmed" over the spiralling political violence in the country, urging a meeting of the east African country's government and opposition. The meeting could be held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa or in Kampala, Uganda, UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson, AU chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in the statement. The statement issued in Valletta said the three had discussed Burundi during a summit on migration that was held in Malta on Wednesday and Thursday. "Alarmed by the widening divisions, the threat for many more lives and a deep regional crisis, we pledged to work closely together and to mobilize all our means and instruments to prevent a further deterioration of the situation," the statement said. Human rights activists say more than 200 people have been killed since April in protests, other clashes between police and government opponents, politically motivated killings and grenade blasts.
