Egypt abstains from voting on resolution deploying UN police in Burundi

Saturday 30-07-2016 07:54 PM

Security Council members voting in favour of measures presented by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to prevent and combat sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers. UN Photo/Loey Felipe

CAIRO, Jul 30 (Aswat Masriya) – Egypt was among four countries who abstained from voting on Friday on a UN Security Council resolution authorizing the deployment of up to 228 UN police to monitor the security situation in Burundi.

The 15 member council adopted the resolution after 11 of its members voted in favour while the remaining four including Egypt, China, Angola and Venezuela abstained from voting.

Citing Egypt’s permanent delegate at the UN Amr Abu Atta, the foreign ministry said that the “resolution in its current form, authorizes the deployment of police forces without consultation with the government of Burundi, which puts the security council in a confrontation with the government, instead of supporting it”.

Abu Atta said that during negotiations, Egypt presented proposals taking into account the importance of consultation with the government of Burundi but some UNSC delegations insisted on adopting the resolution in its current form.

Violence in Burundi erupted since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced plans to run for a third term.

More than 450 people have been killed including government officials and members of the opposition, who believe that Nkurunziza violated the constitution and a peace deal that ended a civil war in 2005.

About a quarter of a million people have fled the violence, Reuters reported.

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