U.N. Protests Burundi Move to Expel Envoy
The United Nations expressed "regret" over Burundi's decision Thursday to throw a senior U.N. official out of the country following a damning report alleging guns were being distributed ahead of elections.
The leaked internal U.N. report has raised fears of a return to civil war and the government has been warned about the risk, said Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
"Repeatedly over the last two weeks we have brought up the issue of the arming of youth groups to the government of Burundi," said Dujarric.
"Given the seriousness of the allegations we shared it with the Security Council and we called on the government to investigate the allegations," Dujarric said.
He said the international body would lodge a formal protest over the expulsion of the diplomat, Paul Debbie, security chief at the U.N. office in Burundi.
"We would like to see the government investigate them (the allegations), and we regret the government's decision to declare persona non grata Mr Debbie," the spokesman said.
Burundi's Foreign Minister Laurent Kavakure said that Debbie has been ordered to leave by Friday.
It was in connection to the leaked report, quoted by local media, containing "allegations of weapons distribution to members of the youth league of the ruling party," Kavakure told Agence France Presse, saying it had undermined the "image of Burundi" and was a "false rumor."
Source: Agence France Presse
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