Africa

Summary The constitutional referendum held 17 May was characterized by a large number of arbitrary arrests mainly targeting members of the opposition Amizero y’Abarundi. As President Pierre Nkurunziza proclaimed the new constitution, he also pledged to step aside in 2020. But a considerable portion of the population remains opposed to this constitutional reform. Burundi’s two… View Article

UN threats of sanctions increase The United Nations Security Council on Thursday 31 voted in favour of imposing additional sanctions on South Sudan. The council voted 9 -0 in favour of the sanctions but delayed their implementation until the end of June, giving the warring parties in South Sudan until then to make peace if… View Article

Opposition loses challenge to referendum The constitutional court in Burundi cancelled a petition filed by the opposition to annul the May 17 referendum on the basis of intimidation, torture and killings of citizens during the campaigns. The court declared on Thursday, May 31 that the results were legitimate and the majority of the people on… View Article

Raila appointed South Sudan envoy Kenyan former Prime Minister and presidential candidate Raila Odinga has been appointed Kenya’s special envoy to South Sudan by the President Uhuru Kenyatta. Raila Odinga has already been to Addis Ababa to meet with Salva Kiir during the recently concluded peace talks. The two had a closed-door meeting but reports… View Article

Referendum passes Burundi held a referendum on 17 May to decide on a series of constitutional amendments, including whether or not the presidential term of office should be extended from five to seven years. While the day of the referendum passed peacefully, there were many incidents of intimidation, threats and violence in the days leading… View Article

Summary In the run up to the constitutional referendum, the number of arbitrary arrests increased remarkably. All the cases we monitored we were able to record were carried out by either Imbonerakure militiamen or the police or the two working together. They targeted those who campaigned against changing the constitution, particular Forces Nationales de Libération… View Article