Adoption of Burundi Resolution
On Tuesday morning (20 December), the Council is scheduled to adopt a resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Office in Burundi (BNUB). A draft resolution was finalised and put in blue on Friday, 16 December. The mandate is set to be extended until 15 February 2013 (13 and a half months), as part of current Council efforts to spread out mission renewals throughout the year.
During the expert level meeting of Council members on 13 December, it seems only one main point of contention arose. It appears one permanent member suggested new robust language on accountability for extrajudicial killings in Burundi. (This issue was raised both by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of BNUB, Karin Landgren, in her briefing to the Council on 7 December and in the recent Secretary-General’s report (S/2011/751). The report stated that, by mid-October, BNUB had documented 46 extrajudicial and politically motivated killings in 2011 with most of the victims known to have been affiliated with a political party.) However, the proposed language did not receive the support of some other Council members, which seem to have suggested that its inclusion might not be productive at this time. It seems the current—and likely final—text calls upon the government of Burundi to prevent human rights violations and take measures to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.
