Formation of new Burundian Government welcomed by UN mission

The United Nations has welcomed the establishment of a new Government in Burundi and called on the country’s leadership to persevere in consolidating peace and strengthening democracy in the small Central African country.

According to a statement issued today by the UN Integrated Office in Burundi, known by its French acronym BINUB, the members of the international community in Bujumbura have expressed satisfaction that negotiations among local political actors have resulted in a consensus leading to the new Government.

They appealed to the country’s leadership, including President Pierre Nkurunziza, to persevere in strengthening democracy in Burundi, which emerged from over a decade of civil war between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority, following the signing in September 2006 of the Comprehensive Ceasefire Agreement between the Government and the Forces Nationales de Libération (Palipehutu-FNL).

In addition, they urged all concerned, including the Palipehutu-FNL party, to pursue the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement.

BINUB, established last year as the successor to the UN Operation in Burundi (ONUB), supports the Government in such areas as peace consolidation and democratic governance, disarmament and reform of the security sector, as well as various human rights and development activities.