UN votes to send police to Burundi

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has adopted a resolution that allows the deployment of unarmed UN police to Burundi in a bid to help contain the escalating unrest gripping the landlocked African country. The 15-member council unanimously passed the French-drafted motion on Friday after days of tough negotiations over its wording. 

The resolution asks UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to draw up within 15 days a list of options for the proposed police force in coordination with the African Union and consultations with the Burundian government. It provides for the “deployment of a United Nations police contribution to increase the United Nations capacity to monitor the security situation, promote the respect of human rights and advance rule of law” in the violence-wracked state.

The resolution further expresses concerns about “the persisting political impasse” in Burundi and underlines the need for convening “a genuine and inclusive inter-Burundian dialogue.”