"At least 12 dead" in Ivory Coast beach shooting
The European Union has suspended its direct support to the government of Burundi, saying that the authorities in Bujumbura have not sufficiently addressed the EU"s concerns.
A significant chunkgovernment expenditure is funded by the EU.
The EU says that 400 people have died and nearly 240,000 have fled the country since the political strife began in April last year.
That was triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza"s announcement that he would run for a third term.
The EU"s foreign affairs commissionerFederica Mogherini said:
The situation in Burundi remains of serious concern for the EU, though we have seen recently some glimpses of hope. Today"s decision makes clear that for our relations to be fully resumed we expect a number of concrete measures to be carried out."
The press release does not lay out exactly what those measures are, but encourages thegovernment tosupport the inter-Burundi dialogue, which is beingmediated by the East African Community.
The EU has said it will continue to fund humanitarian aid programmes.
Despite protests, President Nkurunziza successfully ran for a third term in July last yearSource: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-africa-35783138
