UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Wednesday for urgent talks to avert civil war in Burundi as the central African country defended the actions of its security forces and rejected any idea of stationing foreign troops on its soil.
Ban said he would send his special adviser Jamal Benomar to the region for talks with the Burundi government, other countries and the African Union on ways to defuse a crisis that has spurred fears of a return to full-scale ethnic conflict.
In the worst clashes since a military coup was foiled in May, insurgents attacked military camps in the capital Bujumbura on Friday, and nearly 90 people were killed in the ensuing violence.
UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said on Tuesday the authorities had responded to the attacks with house searches, arrests and alleged summary executions.
Burundi, whose crisis pits supporters of President Pierre Nkurunziza against those opposed to his serving a third term in office, rejected the criticism of its security forces.
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