Burundi's Pierre Nkurunziza threatens AU peacekeepers

Source: BBC

Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza has threatened to fight African Union (AU) peacekeepers if they are deployed to the country.

The AU announced two weeks ago that it would send 5,000 troops to protect civilians in the country, even without the government's consent.
"Everyone has to respect Burundi borders," Mr Nkurunziza said in his first public response to the AU plan.
At least 400 people have been killed and 220,000 displaced since April.
The violence began after Mr Nkurunziza announced he would seek a third term in office. He survived a coup attempt in May, and secured a landslide victory in disputed elections in July.
There have been fears that the violence could spiral into civil war and possible ethnic conflict.

Under Burundi's constitution, foreign troops can only intervene if the warring parties ask for it, or if there is no legitimate government in place, the president said in comments broadcast on state radio.
Any violation of those principles would be considered "an attack on the country and every Burundian will stand up and fight against them," he said.
Other government officials have already criticised the AU proposal saying it would violate the country's sovereignty.

If the deployment goes ahead, it would be the first time the AU uses its power to deploy a force without a country's consent.
A clause in the organisation's charter allows it to intervene in a member state because of grave circumstances, which include war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
Diplomatic moves to prevent a civil war in Burundi have recently accelerated with the UN, the European Union and the East African Community fearful of the impact of worsening violence both on the local population and the region.
The government has said there is no threat of genocide.
A peace meeting held in neighbouring Uganda on Tuesday to find a solution to the crisis ended without any agreement.