Security Council urges all parties in Burundi conflict to cease fighting

Members of the United Nations Security Council today called on all parties to the conflict in Burundi to immediately cease hostilities and to respect human rights and international law.

"Members of the Council reiterate their strong support for the Arusha Agreement as the basis for the resolution of the conflict in Burundi and are united in the belief that there is no military solution to the conflict," the current Council President, Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury of Bangladesh, told the press. "Armed groups should not pursue their agenda through violent means."

In a press statement following the Council's meeting on Burundi, Ambassador Chowdhury said the Council members also encouraged the dialogue between the Government and the rebels and called upon the countries in the region to use their influence to bring the armed groups into the peace process. They endorsed the findings of the Council's mission to Burundi, and repeated their call on the Forces for National Liberation and Forces for the Defence of Democracy to enter into the Arusha process and refrain from any violent action.

Members of the Council noted the progress made in advancing the peace process at the session of the Implementation Monitoring Committee in Arusha from 28 May to 4 June. They also reiterated their full support for Nelson Mandela, the Facilitator of the Arusha process, and regional initiatives to bring peace to the troubled central African country.