Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to formally encourage the Burundian government to play a greater role in the truth and reconciliation process in that country.

The UK Government believes that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, guided by the Arusha Accord, has an important role in ensuring long-term reconciliation. During my visit to Burundi in December 2015, and through my continued engagement with Burundian Foreign Minister Alain Nyamitwe, I have made clear that only a genuine and inclusive dialogue, based on the respect of the Arusha Accord, will enable the Burundian stakeholders to find a consensual solution to the crisis facing their country, a necessary precondition for a lasting truth and reconciliation process. The continued violence shows that the principles of inclusion set out in the Arusha Accord are needed now more than ever and I continue to urge all in Burundi to uphold them

Under the UK’s Presidency the UN Security Council approved Resolution 2248 which stresses the utmost importance of respecting the letter and the spirit of the Arusha Accord. It calls upon the Government of Burundi to adhere to the rule of law and undertake transparent accountability for acts of violence. These points were reiterated in UN Security Council Resolution 2279, agreed on 1 April.