Political Quotes

“I rise to call for urgent action to prevent widespread violence and mass atrocities in Burundi. Let us not allow Burundi to become the next Rwanda or Darfur. We are at a critical juncture. I call upon the Burundian Government and opposition to respect the spirit of the 2000 Arusha agreement and immediately stop all violence, disarm militias, including youth militia aligned with the government, and urge all legitimate stakeholders to agree to participate in an inclusive dialogue to determine a path forward for their country. As my colleagues may know, the country has been in turmoil since April, when President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to run for a third term. His decision, which many feel violated the spirit of the very agreement that ended the Burundi 12-year civil war and the Burundian Constitution itself, has led to widespread violence. An attempted coup in May revealed an alarming split in the militia's military ranks, and I came to the floor in June to discuss my concern that the situation could escalate. Unfortunately, I was correct. It has. At that time, 90,000 people had fled the country, and now there are over 200,000 refugees. In June, an estimated 21 people had died during the protest. The U.N. now estimates that nearly 250 people have been killed since April, some at the hands of the security forces and others in a series of tit-for-tat targeted assassinations and killings. The violence has taken on troubling overtones.…”