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Ban Ki-moon

UNITED NATIONS — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday slammed an attempted assassination of a leading Burundian human rights defender, calling for a prompt probe into the incident.

Pierre Claver Mbonimpa was shot and severely wounded by unknown assailants in the capital Bujumbura, a day after former Burundian intelligence chief Adolphe Nshimirimana was assassinated in the restive country.

In a statement from his spokesman, Ban called for “a prompt and transparent investigation” to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice. Ban noted that there is a growing pattern of politically-motivated violence in Burundi “that must be broken before it escalates beyond control.”

He stressed that accountability and the resumption of a genuine and inclusive political dialogue are the best response to such attempts to destabilise Burundi.

Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza won his third term in a controversial presidential poll in late July as the ruling party’s candidate, amid months of unrest sparked by his bid.

The opposition said his re-election was illegal as it violated the constitution that sets a two-term limit for presidency.

However the country’s constitutional court has ruled that the president’s first term doesn’t count as he was appointed by parliament, not elected by the people.

The UN Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi (MENUB) last week said that while the July 21 election in Burundi was relatively peaceful and conducted adequately, the overall environment was “not conducive” to an inclusive, free and credible electoral process. — Xinhua.