Lord Bruce of Bennachie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bruce of Bennachie on 2015-12-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the recent violence in Burundi.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK is deeply concerned by the recent violence in Burundi and supports the East African Community mandated dialogue, facilitated by Uganda, as the only route to a sustainable and inclusive solution. The UK has been active in its response, working alongside our international partners. Under the UK’s Presidency the UN Security Council approved Resolution 2248 which provided for the deployment of a UN team to Burundi. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (Mr Duddridge), visited the region between 15 – 17 December with a focus on Burundi. Mr Duddridge discussed the recent violence with the Burundian Foreign Minister Alain Nyamitwe, and Major General Prime Niyongabo, Army Chief Of Staff. In Uganda, Mr Duddridge had separate meetings with President Museveni and Foreign Minister Kutesa. Additionally, he spoke by phone with Defence Minister Kiyonga. Mr Duddridge also met Rwandan Foreign Minister Mushikiwabo to underline the need for constructive engagement to solve the Burundi crisis. We have intensified our coordination with African Union (AU) countries alongside international partners. We welcome the AU’s Peace and Security Committee communiqué of 18 December which authorised a deployment of AU troops to Burundi to stabilise the security situation. We are exploring what more we can do to support the AU’s leadership at the UN and with our EU partners.
