BUJUMBURA
Burundian opposition parties and civil society organizations have issued a joint call to the international community to deploy an international peacekeeping force to the crisis-hit country.
"Given the failure of the state to ensure the security of all citizens and foreigners living in Burundi… we are issuing a cry of alarm to all of Burundi's [international] partners to immediately deploy a peacekeeping force to ensure the safety of people and property," read a memorandum signed Tuesday by opposition parties and civil society organizations.
Signatories also included former presidents Domitien Ndayizeye and Sylvestre Ntibantunganya, along with opposition leader Jean Minani and activists Armel Niyongere and Justine Nkurunziza.
The memorandum also called on leading members of the international community to "use their influence to pressure [Burundian President Pierre] Nkurunziza to withdraw his candidacy for a third presidential term… to avoid a bloodbath."
The initiative comes amid a political crisis in Burundi sparked by Nkurunziza's intention to run for a third term in office.
Since April 26, demonstrators have been taking to the streets to protest Nkurunziza's planned third-term run.
The situation took a turn for the worse last week when a group of army generals staged a failed coup attempt against Nkurunziza while he was attending a regional summit in Tanzania.
The ensuing violence left dozens dead or injured, while the opposition vowed to demonstrate relentlessly against Nkurunziza's third-term candidacy.
Nkurunziza's critics say he does not have the right to seek a third term, citing Burundi's constitution, which limits the number of terms a president can serve to two.
Burundi's Constitutional Court, however, has ruled that Nkurunziza's third-term bid would not violate the constitution.
The court ruled that, since he was elected in 2005 by parliament and not by the people, Nkurunziza's first stint in office should not be counted as a presidential term per se.
