Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza (2L) arriving in a car for celebrations of the country’s 53rd Independence Anniversary on July 1, 2015 at Prince Rwagasore Stadium in Bujumbura. PHOTO | AFP
Burundian Security Minister Alain Guillaume Bunyoni told lawmakers that the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) is “unfair”.
The attack comes as the first members of the Somalia’s upcoming national parliament were elected in Garowe, the provincial capital of Puntland.
Burundi is threatening to withdraw its peacekeepers from Somalia and the Central African Republic over leadership issues and plans to pay peacekeepers directly, two Burundian ministers have told Burundian lawmakers in a plenary session.
“Burundian soldiers are not given leadership positions at the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
“Another problem is that there are plans to pay our (Burundian) peacekeepers directly into their accounts in violation of the Memorandum of Understanding stipulating that it is the government that pays them after receiving the money,” Burundian Defence and War Veterans Minister Emmanuel Ntahomvukiye told lawmakers at the National Assembly.
According to him, consultations with the African Union (AU), which is a signatory of the Memorandum of Understanding, are underway.
“Before sending troops into Somalia, we discussed with the AU on the Memorandum of Understanding. The withdrawal from the AMISOM also requires prior discussions with the AU, Burundian citizens and the Burundian parliament,” said Mr Ntahomvukiye.