The United States welcomes the United Nations Security Council’s Presidential Statement today on Burundi.

Like the African Union’s communiqué of October 17, the Security Council statement put particular stress on the urgency of convening an inclusive inter-Burundian dialogue, among the government and peaceful stakeholders within and outside the country. As such, the Security Council reemphasized the importance of the mediation efforts led by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on behalf of the East African Community and as endorsed by the African Union (AU).

The United States stresses the Security Council's call for any dialogue to be inclusive and represent the voices of the citizens of Burundi. We also welcome the Security Council’s strong condemnation of all violations and abuses of human rights and acts of unlawful violence committed in Burundi, both by security forces as well as by militias and other illegal armed groups, and its expressed determination to seek accountability for the perpetrators of such acts.

We are encouraged by the leadership of the United Nations in addressing the ongoing crisis in Burundi, particularly through Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s public offer in his October 27 statement of “any support necessary to advance the implementation of the measures agreed upon by the members of the AU Peace and Security Council.”

The United States stands ready to support the AU, the East African Community (EAC) and its designated mediator, President Museveni, and the citizens of Burundi to urgently conduct such a dialogue, which represents the best path forward to resolving the insecurity which has plagued Burundi since President Nkurunziza’s decision to run for a third-term in contravention of the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement.