The UN Security Council is expected to unanimously adopt a French draft resolution Friday that would lay the groundwork for a UN police presence to help quell violence in Burundi, diplomats said.
The council will meet at 2300 GMT for the vote that caps days of tough negotiations between France and the United States over the wording of the measure.
The draft resolution would request that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon report back to the council in 15 days with options for the deployment of the police presence.
Diplomats said they expected unanimous backing for the draft resolution after agreement was reached on a final text that addressed US objections to some provisions.
The final revised text dropped a reference to UN support for "disarmament" in Burundi -- a term that the United States saw as a potential source of problems after the Burundian government launched a crackdown to disarm opposition activists.
The draft resolution provides for the "deployment of a United Nations police contribution to increase the United Nations capacity to monitor the security situation, promote the respect of human rights and advance rule of law" in Burundi.
The text does not specify the size of the proposed police force but Russia has said that it would support a small deployment of fewer than 100 officers who could help Burundi ensure its security forces respect human rights.
The UN Security Council is under pressure to take action in Burundi where the recent slide into violence has raised fears of mass atrocities, similar to those that convulsed neighboring Rwanda.
Burundi has been in turmoil since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced plans in April to run for a third term, which he went on to win.
Violence has left more than 400 dead and driven more than 250,000 people across the border.
At a council meeting last week, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said reports of torture were on the rise since the beginning of the year and that Burundians "live in terror."
A recent visit by UN rights officials to detention centers in the capital Bujumbura found that almost half of detainees had been tortured or ill-treated, some seriously, he said.
The draft resolution calls for beefing up the UN team of envoy Jamal Benomar, but the mandate of the enhanced political mission was not spelled out.
The measure expresses concern over reports of increased disappearances and acts of torture, but notes that killings have gone down.
The UN Security Council is expected to unanimously adopt a French draft resolution Friday that would lay the groundwork for a UN police presence to help quell violence in Burundi, diplomats said.
The council will meet at 2300 GMT for the vote that caps days of tough negotiations between France and the United States over the wording of the measure.
The draft resolution would request that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon report back to the council in 15 days with options for the deployment of the police presence.
Diplomats said they expected unanimous backing for the draft resolution after agreement was reached on a final text that addressed US objections to some provisions.
The final revised text dropped a reference to UN support for “disarmament” in Burundi — a term that the United States saw as a potential source of problems after the Burundian government launched a crackdown to disarm opposition activists.
The draft resolution provides for the “deployment of a United Nations police contribution to increase the United Nations capacity to monitor the security situation, promote the respect of human rights and advance rule of law” in Burundi.
The text does not specify the size of the proposed police force but Russia has said that it would support a small deployment of fewer than 100 officers who could help Burundi ensure its security forces respect human rights.
The UN Security Council is under pressure to take action in Burundi where the recent slide into violence has raised fears of mass atrocities, similar to those that convulsed neighboring Rwanda.
Burundi has been in turmoil since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced plans in April to run for a third term, which he went on to win.
Violence has left more than 400 dead and driven more than 250,000 people across the border.
At a council meeting last week, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said reports of torture were on the rise since the beginning of the year and that Burundians “live in terror.”
A recent visit by UN rights officials to detention centers in the capital Bujumbura found that almost half of detainees had been tortured or ill-treated, some seriously, he said.
The draft resolution calls for beefing up the UN team of envoy Jamal Benomar, but the mandate of the enhanced political mission was not spelled out.
The measure expresses concern over reports of increased disappearances and acts of torture, but notes that killings have gone down.
