SECRETARY-GENERAL, SHOCKED TO LEARN OF MASSACRE IN BURUNDI, STRONGLY URGES PARTIES TO NEGOTIATE
Press Release
SG/SM/6142
SECRETARY-GENERAL, SHOCKED TO LEARN OF MASSACRE IN BURUNDI, STRONGLY URGES PARTIES TO NEGOTIATE
19970113 The following statement was issued today by the Acting Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:The Secretary-General was shocked to learn of another massacre by the Burundi Army, on 10 January, of 122 Burundi refugees returning from the United Republic of Tanzania, in the province of Muyinga.
The Secretary-General requested the Department of Political Affairs to contact the Permanent Representative of Burundi to convey his deepest concern over the incident. While he welcomes the fact that the authorities in Bujumbura seem to have taken action against some of the perpetrators of this latest killing, the Secretary-General strongly urges the authorities to ensure that the rule of law is scrupulously followed and to prevent further massacres by the Army.
This latest tragedy underscores the pressing need for an immediate cease-fire followed by negotiations among all the interested parties to restore peace in Burundi. The Secretary-General strongly urges the parties to sit at the negotiating table in order to put an end to this abhorrent cycle of violence whose first victims are the innocent civilian population.
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