[ad_1]
A senior Burundian police official publicly threatened the lives of members of the main opposition party and their families if they organized "clandestine meetings", according to an audio recording heard by AFP on Friday. .
The threats were made by a provincial commissioner while the opposition party, the National Congress for Freedom (CNL), the second largest political force in the country, denounced the "fierce" repression suffered by its members since the month from February.
"I would like to tell anyone who is holding a clandestine night meeting at home that … you will bring disaster to your entire family," Jerome Ntibibogora, Muyinga Province Commissioner, told a public meeting in Gasogwe. on Wednesday, according to the recording.
Several witnesses present confirmed the authenticity of the registration at AFP.
Ntibibogora said to have "explosive devices" and that it "was enough to throw two" in a house.
"If you want to disrupt security, I'll finish with you and if you're with your wife and children, you'll go together," he said in response to questions about the crackdown on CNL activists.
Contacted by AFP, the national police and the Ministry of Interior refused to comment on the allegations.
A government official, however, criticized the commissioner for "overzealousness".
"A police officer can not make such comments because they do not correspond to the policy of the government," said the official on condition of anonymity.
Ntibibogora led police in the southern districts of Bujumbura – the country's capital until February – at the height of the 2015 crisis.
He was one of the protagonists of the crackdown on protests against the candidacy of President Pierre Nkurunziza for a controversial third term.
Turmoil
Burundi is in turmoil since President Pierre Nkurunziza (photo of June 2018) announced in April 2015 that he intended to run for president. By STR (AFP / File)
Burundi has been in turmoil since the president, in April 2015, announced his intention to run for president. He was re-elected in July of the same year.
The violence claimed the lives of at least 1,200 people and displaced more than 400,000 between April 2015 and May 2017, according to estimates by the International Criminal Court, which opened an investigation.
CNL spokesman Aime Magera condemned a "real hunt for man" against party militants, saying 135 of them had been arrested since mid-February, mainly "under pretext to hold unauthorized meetings ".
"Many of them were tortured, one of whom died from his wounds" in the northeastern province of Kirundo, while four others were reported missing in the central province of Gitega, he said. declared.
The incidents were confirmed by police sources, independent local media witnesses, in AFP.
LNC is scheduled to hold a congress Saturday in Bujumbura to nominate local officials.
"We want to remove the excuse that he has advanced to explain these arrests, namely that our militants hold unauthorized clandestine meetings because we do not have any officially recognized local officials," he added. the spokesperson.
Source link
