UN rights chief alarmed over Burundi militia ‘rape’ song

Berlin – The UN’s top human rights official says he’s alarmed by what appears to be a “widespread pattern” of rallies in Burundi in which members of a pro-government youth militia sing about impregnating opponents.

An online video emerged this month of an incident involving the Imbonerakure militia.




Burundi’s ruling party criticized the song.

The UN human rights office on Tuesday cited reports of several similar incidents.

The high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, said “the grotesque rape chants by the young men of the Imbonerakure across several provinces in various parts of Burundi are deeply alarming.”

Zeid welcomed the governing party’s condemnation but said reports senior officials were present at other rallies are “very disturbing” and called for an acknowledgement that the rally caught on camera “was not an isolated incident.”

Source:News24