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Embassy warns against comparing Burundi with Rwanda

The Burundi embassy in South Africa has urged caution over predictions of a Rwanda-type genocide in Burundi. In a message sent to IRIN on Friday, the embassy said similarities between the two countries were due to political history and geopolitics “but not to a predisposition to violence”. The embassy said that in order to confront the current violence in Bujumbura, “self-defence units” were being organised for the population. “This self-defence, which is controlled by the administration and the army, should not be confused with the formation of militias which is illegal,” the message stressed.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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