Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the security, political and human rights situations in Burundi ahead of the forthcoming general elections planned for May and June.

Since the end of the civil war in 2005, Burundi has made limited progress towards becoming a more stable democracy. Burundi remains a fragile post-conflict country, with a government that consistently uses the media and justice system to repress political opposition. There have been increasing reports of politically motivated violence, including extrajudicial killings. This political violence threatens regional stability, and could lead to population displacement into Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Burundi was included as a case study on political violence in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Human Rights and Democracy Report 2014.

We continue to use our influence in the UN and in the EU to keep Burundi on the international community’s agenda. We believe that maintaining the spirit of the Arusha peace accords is vital: compromise, reconciliation and dialogue are essential if we are to have an electoral process which is inclusive, peaceful and transparent.