Burundi at an ‘extremely dangerous tipping point’: UHHCR

(Vatican Radio)  The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) has warned that an increasingly grave human rights crisis is gripping Burundi.

Listen to Peter Kenny's report:

The conflict has potentially very serious regional repercussions due to language from the leadership in neighbouring countries, say UN officials. This was after Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein warned the Security Council Burundi is on a tipping point.

In Geneva the UNHCR Central and West Africa Section chief Scott Campbell warned that there is also danger of inter-ethnic conflict.

“While to date it has been very much a political crisis, there is a serious risk that could change," he said.

The UN has stressed the urgent need for an inclusive dialogue in Burundi, and political pressure from African countries in accordance with the Arusha Agreement which had put an end to 12 years of massacres and warfare two decades ago.

At least 240 people have been killed since protests began in April, 280,000 people displaced and there have been trends to silence the mass media.

More than 80 journalist fled the country since April.