US blasts swearing-in of Burundi leader for third term

The United States on Thursday sharply criticized the inauguration of Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza for a controversial third term, accusing the ruling party of ignoring the people’s will.
Washington also warned that the crisis in the central African nation was not over and that political dialogue and international efforts to mediate it were key to bringing it “back from the precipice.”

Nkurunziza, an ex-rebel turned born-again Christian who believes he is in power by divine choice, was inaugurated earlier Thursday after he won elections that the United Nations said were neither free nor fair.
“Today’s inauguration in Burundi demonstrates the ruling party’s intent to ignore the voices of its people in pursuit of its own political agenda,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
“An inauguration — without a government that represents the population’s many political voices and without a comprehensive and inclusive dialogue — will not resolve the political and security crisis in Burundi.”
Nkurunziza’s third term has been condemned as unconstitutional by the opposition and provoked months of protests. There has been a string of killings since his re-election, including the assassination of his top security chief in a rocket attack last month.
“An inclusive and comprehensive political dialogue is the only credible route to re-establish stability in Burundi and forge a peaceful and consensus path forward,” Kirby said.
Washington, heavily involved diplomatically in Burundi’s crisis for months, has repeatedly condemned Nkurunziza’s third mandate.
Last month, President Barack Obama singled him out as an example of the dangers of trying to stay put as he condemned African leaders who refuse to give up power.
US diplomats with area expertise are especially concerned about the risk of a resurgence in violence in this tiny country in the heart of the troubled Great Lakes region.
Nkurunziza was a Hutu rebel leader during the 1993-2006 civil war, when at least 300,000 people were killed. That war pitted rebels from the majority Hutu people against an army dominated by the minority Tutsi.