UN Secretary General has called on President Pierre Nkurunziza to respect the Arusha agreement and the country’s constitution.

Pressure has continued to mount on the President of Burundi Pierre Nkurunziza to respect the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement for Burundi of June 21, 1998 that guaranteed peace and security in the country, as well as the constitution by not standing for re-election for the third term in the June 2015 presidential election.

After calls by the civil society organizations, the Catholic Church, opposition political parties and a faction of President Nkurunziza’s ruling party, CNDD-FDD, the Secretary General of the United Nations Organisation (UNO), Ban Ki-moon on Friday, March 27, 2015 joined his voice urging Pierre Nkurunziza not to stand   for re-election in the June 2015 presidential poll. Ban-Ki-moon called on him to reflect well and weigh the consequences of his decision. The UN Secretary in a telephone message, RFI reported citing his spokesman, Mathias Gillmann, enjoined Nkurunziza to carefully examine the potential consequences of his decision on the country, its heritage and decisions in connection with the upcoming presidential election. He reportedly said in less than two months to general elections, Burundi has made great progress thanks to the determination of its citizens to preserve the spirit of the Arusha agreement and to build a peaceful, democratic and prosperous nation.

Ban Ki-moon reminded President Nkurunziza of calls by the international community in Burundi for the strict respect of the spirit of the Arusha agreement on which the country’s constitution is founded. He wished that Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision should keep Burundi on the path of peace and stability and also called on him to ensure that security services remain impartial in case of public protests. The call for the impartiality of the security  services is prompted by the determination of civil society organizations’ supporters to stage street protects as soon as Nkurunziza declares his candidature to run  for the June 2015 poll.

More than 70 members of the ruling CNDD-FDD party amongst whom were dozens of senior officials, opposed to the third term, addressed a letter to President Nkurunziza expressing fear that should President Nkurunziza bid for a third term in office, there can be renewed fighting between Hutus and Tutsis. Ten of the officials have been sacked.