Burundi authorities freeze opposition's bank accounts

BUJUMBURA, Burundi

A Burundian top prosecutor has frozen the bank accounts of a dozen organizations and three civil society leaders known for their opposition to President Pierre Nkurunziza.

Valentin Bagorikunda, Burundi's attorney general, made the announcement Monday via an official letter to the banks concerned.

Juvenal Ndayishimiye, magistrate at the prosecutor's office, told Anadolu Agency that Burundian authorities had made the decision because "investigations have shown that these individuals and organizations have some responsibility in the insurgency that caused damage worth billions of Burundian Francs" across the country.

The individuals and organizations concerned are Pacifique Nininahazwe, the chairman of the Forum for Development and Consciousness (Focode); Vital Nshimirimana, the head of the Forum for the Reinforcement of the Civil Society; Armel Niyongere, the head of the Christian Association against Torture (ACAT) and the Association for the Protection of Human Rights and Detained Persons.

The three individuals have been in exile for six months.

The decision came after four people were killed in a renewed spate of violence in Burundi's capital Bujumbura on Sunday, Moise Nkurunziza, deputy spokesman of the Burundian police, told Anadolu Agency.

US imposes sanctions on Burundi officials

President Barack Obama on Monday authorized the sanctioning of Burundi officials implicated in the country’s ongoing civil strife.

The White House stressed that the action “is not targeted at the people of Burundi”, but is instead focused on government officials and armed groups who “contribute to the turmoil there”.

The four blacklisted individuals include public security minister Guillaume Bunyoni; national police deputy director-general Godefroid Bizimana; former intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Godefroid Niyombare and former defense minister Cyrille Ndayirukiye.

Property within the U.S. owned by the named individuals will now be blocked or frozen, and U.S. nationals are prohibited from conducting business with them. Additional visa restrictions will also be imposed, according to the White House.

“We have received multiple, credible, and ongoing reports of targeted killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, and political repression by security forces, as well as violence and abuses by youth militia affiliated with the ruling party,” National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

“Recent dangerous rhetoric by government officials has further contributed to the climate of fear and risks inciting further violence,” he added.

Burundi has been gripped by instability since April when the ruling party named Nkurunziza -- in power since 2005 -- as its candidate for the presidency.

At least 240 people, mostly opposition politicians but also Nkurunziza supporters, have been killed amid political turbulence that began when the president announced plans to run for a third term.