The African Union (AU) announced in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa Friday that it plans to send a 5,000-strong peacekeeping mission to avert disaster in restive Burundi, dpa reported. The initial deployment, which will be for six months, "is mandated to prevent any deterioration of the security situation" and contribute "to the protection of civilian populations under imminent threat," the African union said. If Burundi does not accept the deployment within 96 hours, the peacekeepers could be sent in anyway against the government's wishes, the AU Security Council said late Friday. Bujumbura government spokesman Philippe Nzobonariba reacted to the news by saying it was not clear what the soldiers should do in Burundi. They were more urgently needed elsewhere, he said. The AU said its Burundi mission is also intended to facilitate political moves to resolve the growing sectarian conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi populations.
