Burundi says will ‘never’ allow in UN special rapporteur

By ELOGE WILLY KANEZA
Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Burundi’s government has signaled that it won’t allow a recently appointed United Nations special rapporteur on human rights into the East African nation. Foreign Minister Albert Shingiro last week told reporters, and separately told a meeting with diplomats, that Burundi would “never” allow the special rapporteur to investigate the country, which was rocked by deadly political violence and a crackdown on dissent around the 2015 national election. Some in the international community have tried to take a fresh approach with Burundi after President Pierre Nkurunziza died last year, but some human rights groups and critics have alleged that repression continues under current President Evariste Ndayishimiye.