(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The members of the Security Council and UN Chief Ban Ki-moon condemned in the strongest terms the killing of Zedi Feruzi, leader of the opposition Union for Peace and Development (UPD) party in Burundi, and his bodyguard in Bujumbura.
The members of the Security Council reiterated in a statement their call on all Burundian stakeholders to demonstrate their sense of responsibility and exercise calm and restraint in the interest of peace and reconciliation in Burundi. The Council called on the Burundian authorities to take concrete steps to prevent further violence, whilst respecting fundamental freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly.
Moreover, the 15 member council called on all Burundian stakeholders to pursue the consultative political dialogue facilitated by the Special Envoy for the Secretary General for the Great Lakes region, Said Djinnit, and representatives of the African Union, the East African Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, to create an environment conducive to peaceful, credible and inclusive elections in Burundi, in the spirit of the Arusha Agreements.
Nevertheless, the Council reiterated their intent to respond to violent acts which threaten peace and security in Burundi.
Condemning the grenade attack in Bujumbura's central market that left two dead and many others injured, the Council members expressed their deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
They urged the Burundian authorities to "swiftly bring the perpetrators of these crimes to justice," the statement added.
In a separate statement, the UN Chief said that "this crime threaten to entrench mistrust and trigger further violence." The Secretary General stressed in his statement that these acts of violence constitute a stark reminder of the need for all Burundian political leaders to address the current political crisis with the highest sense of responsibility and to place peace and national reconciliation above partisan interests.
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