Burundi rejects International Criminal Court war crimes investigation

NAIROBI, Kenya - Burundi said on Friday it will refuse to cooperate with an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into war crimes prosecutors suspect were committed by forces loyal to President Pierre Nkurunziza’s government against their political opponents.

The court ordered a formal investigation on Thursday into crimes committed between April 2015 to October 2017.

But experts say it will be hard for ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to gather evidence without support from Burundi’s government, which last month became the first to withdraw from the Hague-based court amid waning support from African nations.

An earlier ICC case in Kenya fell apart due to opposition from the government of President Uhuru Kenyatta. Like Burundi, Kenya and South Africa have threatened to withdraw from the court, arguing that it disproportionately targets Africans.

“The government rejects that decision (to investigate) and reiterates its firm determination that it will not cooperate,” said Burundi’s Justice Minister Aimee Laurentine Kanyana.

Unrest has gripped Burundi since Nkurunziza said in April 2015 he would seek a third term in office, triggering protests and a crackdown by security forces.