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Thursday 12 Nov 2015 - 11:40 Makkah mean time-30-1-1437
Geneva, (IINA) - Diplomats said on Wednesday that leading Western powers and the UN are discussing the possible deployment of international peacekeepers in Burundi if the violence in the African country spirals into a full-scale ethnic conflict, Reuters reported.
At least 240 people were killed and tens of thousands have fled to neighboring states during the months of violence that began when President Pierre Nkurunziza decided in April to run for a third term. He later won a disputed election in July.
The UN warned on Monday that Burundi could be facing imminent catastrophe and that it is in danger of escalating to atrocities. Burundi said it was "not in flames" and there should be no concerns about an impending genocide.
A UN peacekeeping spokesman said that several options were being looked at as part of contingency planning. UN diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the UN, Britain, the U.S. and France had discussed the planning.
"The use of MONUSCO assets and personnel has been mentioned as one possible option", said the UN peacekeeping spokesman, referring to the nearly 20,000-strong U.N. mission in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
This plan would need authorization from the 15-member Security Council under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which covers the council's authority to enforce decisions with economic sanctions or military force, and approval from the troop-contributing countries, said a senior UN diplomat.
A second contingency option being considered is to send in the East African Standby Force. The African Union Peace and Security Council last month asked the AU Commission to finalize planning for deployment if needed to stop the widespread violence.
"While this is ultimately a matter for the Security Council to decide, a regional coalition would be well placed to provide a rapid and credible response if the situation in Burundi worsens", the U.N. peacekeeping official said.
The UN Security Council is negotiating a French-drafted resolution to ask UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to report back on options for boosting the UN presence in Burundi.
It is noteworthy that Burundi ended a 12-year civil war between Hutu rebels and a Tutsi-led army in 2005. The same ethnic divide led to neighboring Rwanda's 1994 genocide in which 800,000 people - mainly Tutsis and moderate Hutus - were massacred.
AG/IINA
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