UN Decides To Send Police Force To Burundi

Sumaira FH Published July 30, 2016 | 11:29 AM

UNITED NATIONS, United States, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th july,2016) - The UN Security Council on Friday agreed to deploy a UN police force to Burundi, its strongest move to date to try to end more than a year of violence in the African country. The council adopted a resolution drafted by France on dispatching up to 228 UN police to the capital Bujumbura and throughout Burundi for an initial period of a year. Burundi has said it would not accept more than 50 UN police, drawing a question mark over whether the proposed force will have the strength in numbers to make a difference on the ground.

Four countries on the 15-member council abstained from the vote, which passed with 11 votes in favor. The abstentions came from China, Egypt, Angola and Venezuela, which cited the need to secure Bujumbura's consent for the police force. The council resolution requested UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ensure a "progressive deployment" of the new force to monitor human rights violations.