The Burundian government requested the departure of the current Executive Representative of the United Nations Secretary General in Burundi, Youssef Mahmoud, who is also head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB), explaining that the organization’s mandate under the leadership of the peacekeeping department ends on 31 December, official sources told APA Tuesday.
At a press briefing held Monday in Bujumbura, the Burundian Foreign Relations and International Cooperation minister Nsanze Augustine said that the government had asked the UN Secretary General to integrate the UN peacekeeping mission into the UN Political Affairs Department to comply with the main lines of the new UN integrated support strategy in Burundi for 2010-2014.
This request, he recalled, is contained in a note verbal recently sent to the UN General Secretariat.
According to Nsanze, the departure of the UN representative is mostly linked to the transition period from war to peace. “Do not say that Mr. Mahmoud was expelled, I insist on the report he gave. It must be understood as such, it is the end of the mandate,” he said.
Asked about reports that the ruling party did not get along with that diplomat, the minister did not deny the fact.
He said there were actually several complaints by the ruling party that the BINUB accused it of all ills, while other political parties were practically hailed as if they were the best.
’’What you should know is that the ruling party is also a partner who will go to elections like other political parties. You cannot accuse the ruling party of all evils and portray a false image of it,” said Nsanze.
He also added that BINUB should deal with Burundian political parties on the same footing, and a diplomat must do everything to cooperate with the government.
Unofficial sources have indicated however that the UN representative in Burundi was “expelled” following the latest UN report implicating some local authorities of supporting FDLR rebels (Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda) who are fighting against the executive power in Rwanda.
Source African Press Agency
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