YouSaid · the spoken record

Shingiro

lines on the record: 336
first: 2013-01-24
most recent: 2019-10-30
sittings or episodes: 20
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“From the security perspective, while we recognize the several challenges that continue to require our attention, the situation on the ground is apparent, which no one can deny. The overall security situation throughout the country is good. With regard to human rights and imprisonments, several hundred prisoners have been released since 2015. In 2017, 2,500 prisoners benefited from a presidential pardon granted at the end of 2016. Among those, 2,246 have already rejoined their families. With regard to freedom of expression, 20 public and private local radio stations, 4 community radio stations, 7 radio stations broadcasting on the territory of Burundi, 2 local news agencies, 24 public and private periodicals, 17 Internet sites and 12 associations and professional bodies of the press are operational.”
2017-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7895 (2017) · source
“I will now quickly skip to the political, security and human rights situation in Burundi. On the political level, the Commission nationale de dialogue interburundais continues as normal both at home and abroad. At the external level, we commend the outstanding work of the Facilitator of inter-Burundi dialogue, His Excellency Mr. Benjamin William Mkapa, who just organized the fourth dialogue session in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, which took place from 16 to 19 February. We reiterate our confidence in, and support for, his work. The Government of Burundi remains committed in a spirit of good faith to that process in an inclusive manner, with the exception, of course, of the coup leaders of 13 May 2015, who today are on the run and under the protection of certain United Nations States Members.”
2017-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7895 (2017) · source
“The statistic of more than 200 cases in connection with that allegation was cited without supporting evidence or serious investigations, and did not take into account the cases of young people who have fled the country to undergo paramilitary training in a neighbouring country and who have been intentionally declared missing. Of the more than 150 young people handed over by the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the Government of Burundi, some of them were on the list of missing persons. Caution, therefore, must be exercised before levelling such an allegation. I will not go into the details of the report, as the time allotted to me is too short. Everyone has received a comprehensive document that contains our comments and observations in connection with the report.”
2017-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7895 (2017) · source
“Dating from resolution 2248 (2015), and extending to resolutions 2303 (2016) and 2279 (2016), the Council has never used that heavily charged word, preferring on each occasion to use careful and balanced language to designate young people affiliated with political parties without singling out a specific group of young people according to certain criteria. Furthermore, the report refers to cases of forced disappearances in Burundi. It should be recalled here that that phenomenon is a global threat from which no nation, unfortunately, is spared.”
2017-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7895 (2017) · source
“Moreover, my delegation believes that referring to a fourth term of office that the President has not announced is indicative of the double standards of which Burundi has been a victim since 2005, because no such concern has ever been raised by another United Nations authority with regard to cases of fourth, fifth, sixth or even seventh terms of office that have been seen almost everywhere else in the world. In paragraph 20, the report also recklessly uses the word "militia" to characterize the youth group affiliated with the ruling party. The choice of that word is inappropriate because it is falls outside the lexicon that has already been agreed in the Security Council.”
2017-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7895 (2017) · source
“Among other things, the report refers to what he called the intention of the current President to seek a so-called fourth term of office, thereby forgetting that constitutional matters fall exclusively under the sovereignty of States Members and that of their peoples. My delegation would like to recall that the current President is exercising his second term of office in accordance with the judgment of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Burundi delivered on 4 May 2015 and that of the Court of the East African Community delivered on 19 July 2015, which both confirmed the legality of the candidacy of President Pierre Nkurunziza in 2015.”
2017-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7895 (2017) · source
“Mr. Shingiro (Burundi) (spoke in French): As this is this first time that I take the floor under your presidency, Sir, on behalf of my delegation, I would like to express my sincere congratulations on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council. I also wish to welcome the presence of Mr. Benjamin William Mkapa, East African Community Facilitator of the inter-Burundi dialogue and former President of Tanzania, to whom we renew our trust and full support. I should also like to thank the Secretary-General for his first report (S/2017/l65) on the situation in Burundi, even though my delegation is not in agreement with some of its assertions and shortcomings.”
2017-03-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7895 (2017) · source
“We also welcome the fact that paragraph 9 of the resolution also pertains to actors outside Burundian territory, including others in the region. With regard to cooperation with our partners, we appreciate the fact that the Council pays particular attention to the issue in the preambular part of the resolution, notably by encouraging bilateral and multilateral partners and the Government of Burundi to continue their dialogue in order to create a favourable environment for a resumption of assistance to Burundi. I would like to conclude by saying that my country of course welcomes that appeal. We remain very committed to make every effort to rectify the situation at the political and security levels, in the interests of the Burundian people and of the region. The meeting rose at 7.45 pm.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“The resolution also reminds all States of the region to respect the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region and the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Among other things, that Convention emphasizes the need to respect the civilian character of refugee camps - as recalled as well by the Secretary-General himself here on 21 March (see S/PV.7653) in the presence of several ministers from the region. We hope that Kigali will unequivocally hear that call by the Council so that that neighbouring country, with which we share so much, immediately ceases to facilitate the recruitment, training and arming of the negative forces that commit acts of aggression in our country.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“All those actors have opposed an armed international, preferring instead the presence of human rights observers and unarmed military experts. That unarmed configuration, and I emphasize this, which is also the preference of the African Union, is what we expect to discuss in detail with the Secretariat in a spirit of openness and respect for national sovereignty. With regard to acts of aggression from Rwanda, which several credible reports have established, including at the United Nations, my delegation welcomes the call on regional States in paragraph 8 of today's resolution to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the situation in Burundi and to refrain from supporting the activities of armed groups.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“My country remains available to the Secretary-General to discuss and agree upon the nature, size and tasks of the police presence in support the team of the special adviser envisaged in resolution 2248 (2015). In that regard - and this is extremely important to emphasize - I recall that the primacy of the option of an un-armed international presence was one of the recommendations of the latest Summit of Heads of State of the African Union, held in Addis Ababa; of the the high-level delegation of the African Union made up of five Presidents that visited Bujumbura from 25 to 26 March; of the meeting of the ministerial committee of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region held on 10 February in Luanda; and of the Government of Burundi itself via its Parliament.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“If there are administrative delays on the part of the other party that has to sign the memorandum of understanding, for Burundi's part we are prepared to do so at any time. It is a matter of improving the existing memorandum - merely a matter of changing the number of observers. Again, we are acting in good faith. We are not stalling. With regard to cooperation with the United Nations, Burundi would once again like to reiterate before the Council its full cooperation with the country team and with the team of the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Mr. Jamal Benomar. We take note of the offer of the contribution of police stipulated in paragraph 10 of resolution 2279 (2016), which will of course be determined in consultation with the Government of Burundi.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“We hope that this message will be heard by those who remotely guide such acts from host countries abroad. I note in passing that no ideology or political struggle can justify such senseless acts that take the lives of women and children in our country. Still on the subject of security, with regard to the desire to continue the disarmament process in transparency and full cooperation with our partners, the Government of Burundi agreed, before the high- level delegation of the African Union, to the deployment in Bujumbura of 100 human rights observers and 100 unarmed military observers to observe what we are doing. For us, transparency is a priority. If the observers are not all yet in Bujumbura, it is not because of the Government. The President made a firm commitment, and we are ready to receive them at any time.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“As the Council is aware, the internal dynamics are very advanced under the leadership of the National Commission for the Inter-Burundian Dialogue, which has done an excellent job throughout the country so that everyone can have their say. With regard to security, I confirm that it is generally good throughout the national territory and that citizens are going about their activities in calmly, except for some residual elements of the opposition who continue to throw grenades at peaceful citizens. In that regard, my delegation welcomes the fact that the Council has recognized the decrease in killings in Burundi and has condemned the use of force to achieve political objectives, whatever its origins or its authors, including strong condemnation of the indiscriminate throwing of grenades at peaceful citizens.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“From a regional point of view and within the East African Community, consultations are ongoing with the facilitation and with the region in order to come to an agreement - some delegations have pointed this out - on two important points, namely, who should take part in the dialogue in an objective way and what the agenda will be, that is, what will be discussed at the next session. Those are two very important issues. If the dialogue has taken some time, it is not because of the Government. We are ready to start even tomorrow. Just give us the date and the agenda, and we are ready to start and meet our compatriots. We therefore remain quite committed to the dialogue in good faith.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“With respect to political dialogue, we reiterate our firm commitment to continuing an inclusive, frank and sincere inter-Burundian dialogue among the peaceful and clearly committed young men and women of the country, those from within the country as well as those in the diaspora, who are determined to find peaceful solutions to our disputes. We also welcome the fact that paragraph 5 of the resolution refers explicitly to the importance of conducting a dialogue with only non-violent actors, which automatically excludes the coup plotters who wanted to overthrow democratic institutions through unconstitutional means, which violates the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“As is underscored in the resolution the Council has just adopted, we recently authorized the reopening of private radio stations that were destroyed in the wake of the attempted coup of 13 May 2015, namely, the Radio Isanganiro and Radio-Television Rema FM, which are both back on the air broadcasting freely throughout the national territory. Besides those stations, which have been authorized to resume their activities, the National Council of Communication also has authorized two private radio stations - Izere FM. and Humuriza e and without forgetting, I would stress, that judicial proceedings against two civil society non-governmental organizations were lifted, namely, PARCEM. and AJCB, which now have free access to their bank accounts. That is something new.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“With respect to freedom of expression and civil society, I would like to inform Council members once again that Burundi has a great tradition of freedom of expression as well as a tradition of active civil society in the region, and we would like to strengthen this practice and make it permanent. That leads me to thank the Council for having acknowledged, through paragraph 4 of the current resolution, the recent good measures taken by the Government of Burundi with a view to easing political tensions and restoring confidence among the financial and technical partners of our country.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“We have set up a judicial commission of inquiry to shed light on certain allegations of human rights violations since the beginning of the uprising to the present day. Resolution 2279 (2016) refers to this in its preambular part and in paragraph 2. We furthermore recall that the Government of Burundi has made the fight against impunity the centrepiece of its priorities, and all of this without taking into account political affiliations. We cooperate very closely with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to which we have given free access to our services for reasons of transparency. We have offered the same quality of cooperation with United Nations human rights experts who, as you know, Mr. President, visited Burundi from 1 to 8 March.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“My delegation takes note of the appeals of the Security Council on this matter and promises to do everything it can to ensure that this advice would be followed by concrete facts on the ground in an atmosphere of total transparency. On this specific issue, however, I would like to recall that the Government of Burundi has always attached great importance to human rights issues. We have adopted a zero-tolerance policy with respect to human rights, and the National Independent Human Rights Commission is working day and night to take up this challenge. Despite the very tangible progress on the ground, we humbly acknowledge that there have been human rights violation here and there, as there have been elsewhere.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“President, for the great flexibility you have shown during several hours of intense negotiations, which reflects your awareness of the lofty responsibility you have to safeguard international peace and security, which is, of course, the main mission of the Council. Without taking an exhaustive look at the entire resolution that has just been adopted, I would like to make a few general comments - constructive ones, of course - on certain passages of the text that are important for peacebuilding process in Burundi. I would like to begin with the preambular part, which is dominated by the question of the protection of human rights and the promotion of the rule of law, and by the fight against impunity in particular.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“Mr. Shingiro (Burundi) (spoke in French): At the outset, Mr. President, my delegation would like to congratulate you personally and your country, the People's Republic of China, for acceding to the presidency of the Security Council for the month of April. I would also like to thank you, Sir, for having organized this important meeting devoted to the adoption of resolution 2279 (2016), on Burundi, especially as it takes its place following resolution 2248 (2015), which remains very topical. I would also like to thank all of the other members of the Security Council that have spared no effort to assist Burundians to find their own solutions to political issues that concern them. I would also thank you, Mr.”
2016-04-01 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7664 (2016) · source
“With regard to young demonstrators throwing grenades, they were not thrown by youth of the party in power. Those were claimed from Nairobi, and we know who is responsible. But I repeat, disarmament is about everyone. Singling outjust one group is counterproductive.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“We must therefore also have the support of our partners to boost the private sector, create employment and help youth find alternatives to violence. The foregoing also applies to Burundi's politicians, most of whom expect to hold on to their political posts forever. But not everyone wins elections. We have to start to think about how to find other employment for politicians who lose elections, so that they can find alternatives in the private sector rather than turning to Violence after they leave office. I should like to conclude with a brief comment on something said by the High Commissioner for Human Rights. In speaking about disarmament, I thought he singled out a particular group - young people. I emphasize that disarmament is about everyone.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“Given the evolution of events, we should act in line with political reality to restore trust with our partners. The next Government will therefore have to take steps to bring our partners together and regain that lost trust. We will also face the challenge of proceeding with the disarmament programme. Disarming the civilian population is very important. We have a major disarmament programme in place but, given the electoral context, it must be sped up vis-a-vis all groups. No one group is to be singled out. We are talking about overall disarmament of the civilian population. We will have to strengthen the private sector in order to generate jobs. We must find alternatives to Violence for young people. People with jobs do not turn to violence. Most of the young people one sees in the street are unemployed.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“And I would also like to mention the immediate challenges the Government must face in the next few days. The first challenge is to restore confidence among Burundians. We must continue to undertake extraordinary efforts to bolster national unity. To that end, the inter-Burundian dialogue will have to continue beyond the elections. A week or two is not a long time, and we cannot expect things to be resolved by magic. The Government is fully prepared to do that, which is also in line with the call made by EAC Heads of State. In addition to national unity and the restoration of trust among Burundians, we must also restore trust between the Government of Burundi and various partner countries that have taken staunch positions on the Burundi crisis.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“In line with the Constitution, the country's President must be elected one month prior to the end of the preceding mandate. The term of office of the current President will end on 26 August, which means that the next President must be elected no later than 26 July. In addition, 15 days must be factored in for a second round of voting - that is, between 15 and 26 July. We are quite willing to accept a week's postponement - say, 21 or 22 July, which would pose no problems pursuant to the Consitution. Burundi is currently discussing this with the leaders of the region, and I think a compromise will in fact be achieved on the exact date for the elections. Before concluding, let me say that we often talk about the crisis and the political problems; but we must also discuss the economic problems Burundi will face in the coming months.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“I should like to mention that the appointment of a presidential-level mediator and the EAC's leading role in the inter-Burundian dialogue is in line with the operational part of the African Union Peace and Security Council communique adopted at its five hundred and fifteenth meeting, wherein the Council calls on the Chair of the African Union Commission immediately to launch consultations for the operationalization of international facilitation under the aegis - and I emphasize this - of the East African Community. With regard to the postponement of the elections proposed by the Summit, the date of 30 July has been put forward. While the Government welcomes that recommendation, I would like to point out that the provisions of the Constitution of Burundi do not allow a postponement to that date.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“Experience on the ground in Burundi in recent times has proved that greater regional and subregional coherence is a key element is supporting efforts to resolve differences and crises. It continues to be crucial to integrate a regional and subregional perspective in the mediation efforts. Many countries, including Burundi, prefer to receive assistance and advice from neighbouring countries and regional organizations, which know our country, culture and political history and are better placed to provide quite effective advice to find appropriate solutions to the crisis in Burundi. Under the principles of proximity and subsidiarity, the African Union is called upon to support subregional initiatives and once again cede the leading role to subregional actors in the East African Community in carrying out the dialogue.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“Burundi participated actively at the Summit, during which the region's leaders issued pertinent resolutions to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in Burundi, which we were pleased to welcome as a whole. We also welcome the fact that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was named to guide the inter-Burundian dialogue. Similarly, we are very pleased that the East African Community has taken the lead at the highest level, which serves to strengthen coherence and a focus on regional issues in resolving crises and differences in Africa. The Council is not unaware that the United Nations is well positioned to promote greater coherence among subregional, regional, continental and international aspects in response to the resurgence post-conflict crises.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“My Government is of course determined to establish conditions conducive to the return of our compatriots who ran away on the basis of those rumours. We take this opportunity to thank those thousands of Burundian refugees who are returning to the country. They were not mentioned by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, but we believe that approximately 40,000 of them have already returned to the country. The international community is often interested in those who flee countries, but not in those who return. Intellectual honesty requires me to stress the many who have already returned. Regarding the follow-up to the process and the Emergency Summit of the East African Community (EAC) held on 6 July in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, I should like to inform the Council that we welcomed the conclusions of the Summit.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“I also deeply thank the civil society and religious organizations that courageously supported the elections and acted as observers with true professionalism and neutrality. We especially thank those the observers from the political parties, who braved hunger and exhaustion for the love of their country in order to monitor the elections throughout the cycle, from beginning to end. We further thank the countries that hosted Burundian refugees during a media and political onslaught that was rife with lies and rumours calling on Burundians to flee their country. We call on those countries to assist Burundi in the repatriation of those refugees by showing them that peace has been restored and that the reasons for which they fled were not founded.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“In the future, we shall have to try to reconcile the positions of New York with that of the region. As I said, the report of the regional observers reinforced the role of regional actors and the importance of respect for the regional dimension on the part of those outside the continent. At the same time, I would be remiss were I not to thank all the countries and international organizations that had the courage to support the national sovereignty and the legitimate right of the Burundian people to democratically choose its own representatives to various institituions, and to promote the regional dimension here at Headquarters. The representatives of those countries know who they are.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“We thank the Foreign Ministers of the Central African Republic, the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republic of Uganda and the Republic of Kenya, who, through a political statement, congratulated the Independent National Electoral Commission on having organized and led the first communal and legislative elections in full transparency and with exemplary freedom, and in which all political partners were invited to participate. The statement demonstrated that the Burundian people did indeed want elections and democracy. In this regard, I would make my usual point underscoring respect for the regional dimension. It is difficult for us to understand the disconnect between the perceptions inside and outside Africa regarding the assessment of the elections in my country.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“We count on our partners to advise him not to tilt further towards the wrong side of history. I take this opportunity to thank the entire Burundian people, the territorial administration, and the law enforcement and security forces for their joint efforts to ensure the security of voters and voting sites on electional day. I also thank and congratulate the many national, regional and international observers who remained in the hills and neighbourhoods in order to closely follow the elections of 29 June. More than 200 regional and international observers, in addition to those of MENUB, enjoyed national accreditation, as did thousands of national observers. We therefore believe that the accredited electoral observers contributed significantly to strengthening peace and democracy in our country.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“Regarding the outcome of the legislative elections, according to a report issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission of 7 July, the incumbent party - the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratic-Forces pour la defense de la democratie - took 77 ofthe 100 seats, the Union pour le progres national took 2, and the Amizero coalition took 21. Although this makes a total of 100 seats, in order to adhere to the Arusha Agreement, a number of new seats will also have to be assigned so as to balance the parliamentary membership along gender and ethnicity lines. We hope that Agathon Rwasa will not make the same mistake he made in 2010 by renouncing the seats he had obtained due to political capriciousness. That would be a serious error for that politician to make, and would represent total disdain for his constituents.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“In upholding civil and political rights recognized in the Burundian Constitution, in particular the right to elect and to be elected, the Commission attributed votes and distributed seats in line with the votes cast. Ifa political party, coalition of parties or independent candidate does not claim the seat obtained, for whatever reason, the Electoral Code will be applied in line with article 138 of the Electoral Code for the National Assembly, article 185 for the Communal Council, and article 143 for the Senate. In brief, the call for a boycott by the Abibenga Amizero y'Abarundi coalition, headed by Agathon Rwasa, was simply a tactical ploy compounded by nefarious speculations.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“We note the participation of several political and independent parties on election day. Some of these sought to play what I would call an in-and-out game by pretending to boycott but also going door to door to convince Burundians to vote for them. That door-to- door exercise has also been noted by the United Nations Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi (MENUB) report (S/2015/510). I wish to stress that the Independent National Electoral Commission never received from any of the parties, coalitions or independent candidates formal requests for the withdrawal of their candidacies for the Communal Council or the legislative election. Thus, some parties, coalitions and independent candidates had voters who voted for them despite the so-called boycott announced through the media.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“In the capital, in spite of a few isolated incidents of deliberate intimidation in recently restive neighbourhoods - which, happily, were foiled by law enforcement agents - residents were able to vote freely, thanks first and foremost to the relocation of certain voting centres, which limited major incidents on election day. In the interior provinces and the 1,001 hills of Burundi, the behaviour of consitituents surprised many national and international observers. Indeed, by noon of election day, more than 95 per cent of registered voters had already voted. That, too, sent a message that our people yearned to vote and that they had done so early in the morning before going to work in the fields. It also proved that what was being demanded in the endless reports had taken hold of the silent majority who wanted to vote come what may.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“The message is also that nothing other than voter turnout can confer legitimacy on an election. The people of Burundi have spoken, and their voice must be respected. As I said earlier, peace, calm and security characterized the double election, which certain detractors of Burundian democracy had described, for several months before it was even held, as not being credible. Participation in the elections of 29 June was impressive, even massive, and free, transparent and peaceful. It was eloquent testimony to the resolve of the Burundian people to restore the country's institutions so as to ensure that mandates were upheld pursuant to basic national law.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“All national and regional observers, in particular those from neighbouring countries, gave favourable reports on the conditions in which the elections were held. A single observer mission expressed doubts in its report, for reasons known to all. I will not return to that case; I spoke of it yesterday to the Burundi configuration of the Peacekeeping Commission. We thank the people of Burundi for turning out in force for these two elections, at which they chose their local councillors and their members of parliament. The turnout of 75 per cent sent a clear message, not only to all Burundians but also to Burundi's partners, that the silent majority, which did not participate in the Violent demonstrations designed to make media headlines, was eager to vote.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“To return to the present, as I had occasion to say on Friday before the Council (see S/PV.7473), on the eve of the legislative and communal elections of 29 June my Government faced a difficult choice between two options: to postpone the elections, as certain partners were requesting, and voluntarily agree to enter an institutional vacuum, with all of the attendant consequences; or to proceed with the elections forthwith and give the country democratic institutions in line with the Constitution of Burundi. In View of the risk of a constitutional vacuum, my Government decided to proceed with the elections, which allowed the people of Burundi to vote freely on 29 June. As we all saw, the elections took place as planned in a calm and tranquil atmosphere, and no major incidents were reported on election day.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“By publicly taking responsibility for the attacks that took place in the country, including the grenades mentioned by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which were thrown at women selling fruit next to the central market, those behind the putsch have proved once again that the international community missed the mark when it blamed the attacks on young people affiliated to the ruling party and the national police. Responsibility for the grenade attacks has been claimed and the perpetrators are known. The entire international community should condemn such mindless violence, for which responsibility has been publicly claimed, and demand the immediate arrest of those behind the putsch in the countries that are sheltering them. Now that the perpetrators are known, they must be held responsible for their acts and answer for them in court.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“That accusation is no longer valid, because one of those involved in the abortive putsch of 13 May, a certain Leonard Ndikumana, has just publicly claimed responsibility for the grenade attacks and other violence committed against the police and the civil population during the uprising intended to prepare the way for the coup d'etat and, after the putsch, to prevent and torpedo the elections. The claim was made through a Kenyan television company and was relayed by a number of western networks, including Radio France Internationale, TVS and Deutsche Welle.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“I will not refer to it in detail because it covers the period before the elections of 29 June. Certain passages of its 66 paragraphs are therefore no longer relevant, and new information regarding positive developments has become available. I will therefore address the Council on the current situation, as demanded by recent events. Before I do so, however, I will make a short comment on the passage in the report regarding the excessive use of force by the national police of Burundi.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“Mr. Shingiro (Burundi) (spoke in French): Allow me to begin by thanking you, Sir, for convening this important meeting dedicated to the political situation in Burundi, and to congratulate you on your country's accession to the rotating presidency of the Security Council for July. I would also like to thank all the other members of the Council for their ceaseless and most outstanding efforts to help resolve the crisis in Burundi. I also congratulate and thank Mr. Zerihoun and the High Commissioner for Human Rights for their briefings, which have given us more information about that crisis, although my delegation cannot agree with certain implications. My delegation notes the content of the Secretary- General's report on the United Nations Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi issued on 7 July.”
2015-07-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7482 (2015) · source
“Our soldiers have done excellent work in Somalia in order to help our brothers there restore peace, and we are always ready to sacrifice our troops in order to achieve our shared goal ofrestoring peace in brother countries such as Somalia. Such attacks, rather than discouraging our troops, have worked to redouble their energy and determination to help eliminate Al-Shabaab, The meeting rose 111333011117.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“That is why we will press on with our elections on Monday in order to enable the overwhelming majority of the population - more than 95 per cent wish to see the elections held - not to be held hostage by a radical minority that does not want elections and that wants a transitional Government, so it can take office without going to the polls. That is the situation. Those are the two plans that exist, as can clearly be seen. I wanted to share that with the Council rather than keep it to myself. In conclusion, I would like to inform the Council that, unfortunately, some of our troops deployed with the African Union Mission in Somalia have been attacked and have died on the field of battle.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“It would consist in endlessly postponing the elections in Burundi in order to bring about a constitutional vacuum. That vacuum would culminate in a very weak transitional Government, which could lead to rebellions breaking out left and right, which would ultimately lead to the kind of situation that occurred in C6te d'Ivoire, and we all know how that worked out. In such a situation, the Government of Burundi is responsible for the security and peace of its people. It cannot resign itself to collapsing into an institutional vacuum and the abyss that would clearly result.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source
“We are aware of what I might describe as macabre plans, drawn up by some of our partners - a minority, since the majority of our partners act in good faith - with a view to applying in Burundi the same plan as in Burkina Faso. That plan consists in provoking violent demonstrations, which are to be followed by chaos and, subsequently, a coup d'e'tat to resolve the chaos, followed in turn by a transitional Government, precisely in line with the model used in Burkina Faso. Burundi, however, resisted the 13 May coup d'e'tat, and the plan, designed to establish a transitional Government and impose on Burundi the leaders favoured by those partners, failed. We have documentary proof to that effect. Their current plan is also designed to apply the approach followed in Cote d'Ivoire.”
2015-06-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7473 (2015) · source