Editing History of Burundi (section)

==== 2015 unrest ====
{{Main|2015 Burundi unrest}}
In April 2015, Nkurunziza announced that he would seek a third term in office. The opposition said that Nkurunziza's bid to extend his term was in defiance of the constitution, as it bars the president from running for a third term. However, Nkurunziza's allies said his first term did not count as he was appointed by parliament and not directly by the people. On April 26 [[Burundian unrest|police clashed with demonstrators]] protesting Nkurunziza's announcement that he would seek a third term in office. At least six people were killed in the first two days of ongoing protests. The government shut down multiple radio stations and arrested a prominent civil society leader, [[Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa]]. UN Secretary-General [[Ban Ki-moon]] said, in a statement, that he had despatched his special envoy for the region, Said Djinnit, to Burundi for talks with Nkurunziza. [[African Union]] commission head [[Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma]] said she welcomed a decision by [[Senate (Burundi)|Burundi's Senate]] to ask the Constitutional Court to rule whether Nkurunziza could stand for re-election. More than 24,000 people  fled Burundi in April, as tensions mounted ahead of presidential elections in June, the UN refugee agency said.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/04/28/what-explains-burundis-protests/ What explains Burundi’s protests?]</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32496088 Burundi anti-President Nkurunziza protests in Bujumbura]</ref>

On May 13, 2015, [[Military of Burundi|Burundi army]] General Godefroid Niyombareh, former head of Burundian intelligence, [[Burundian unrest|declared a coup]] via radio while Nkurunziza was abroad attending a summit in [[Tanzania]] with other African leaders. Niyombareh had been fired by the President in February. Despite reports that gunshots had been heard and people were celebrating in the streets of the capital, government officials dismissed the threat and claimed to remain in control.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Melvin|first1=Don|date=May 13, 2015|title=Amid fears of ethnic violence, coup attempt reported in Burundi|url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/13/africa/burundi-coup-attempt/|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=13 May 2015}}</ref>

Opposition groups announced on 26 June that they would boycott the election.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-burundi-politics-idUSKBN0P60X520150626|title=Burundi crisis escalates as opposition boycotts elections|work=Reuters|date=26 June 2015|last1=Manirabarusha|first1=Clement}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/burundi-crisis-escalates-as-opposition-boycotts-elections-775623|title=Burundi Crisis Escalates as Opposition Boycotts Elections|date=26 June 2015|work=NDTV.com}}</ref>

Speaking to a Kenyan television station on 6 July, one of the coup leaders, General [[Leonard Ngendakumana]], called for armed rebellion against Nkurunziza. He said that his group was responsible for the grenade attacks and said that "our intent is to intensify".<ref>Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala, [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-burundi-politics-idUSKCN0PG1OE20150706 "Burundi coup general says force only way to oust president"], Reuters, 6 July 2015.</ref> Fighting was reported in northern Burundi on 10&ndash;11 July.<ref name=Gunmen>Clement Manirabarusha, [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-burundi-politics-idUSKCN0PM0EV20150712 "Gunmen captured, killed by Burundi army in clashes in north: governor"], Reuters, 12 July 2015.</ref> The military said on 13 July that 31 rebels had been killed and 170 had been captured in those battles; it said that six of its own soldiers had also been wounded. The Burundian government stated that the rebels had crossed into northern Burundi through the [[Nyungwe Forest]] from [[Rwanda]] but the Rwandan government denied this.<ref>Gerard Nzohabona, [https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/burundi-military-31-suspected-rebels-killed-fighting-32417981 "Burundi military: 31 suspected rebels killed in fighting"], Associated Press, 13 July 2015.</ref> Ngendakumana said that the rebels were from his group.<ref name=Gunmen/>

Shortly after [[Burundian presidential election, 2015|the election]] was held on 21 July, without the participation of the opposition, main opposition leader [[Agathon Rwasa]] proposed the formation of a national unity government, while warning of the potential for more violence and armed rebellion against Nkurunziza. As conditions for participating in such a government, Rwasa said that Nkurunziza's third term would need to be greatly truncated to no more than a year and new elections would have to be held, although he admitted that he doubted Nkurunziza would accept those conditions. He also urged those hoping to oust Nkurunziza through violence to instead focus on dialogue. The government welcomed the idea of forming a national unity government, but rejected the notion of truncating Nkurunziza's new term.<ref>Clement Manirabarusha and Edmund Blair, [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-burundi-politics-opposition-idUSKCN0PW1E020150722 "Burundi opposition leader calls for unity government to avert conflict"], Reuters, 22 July 2015.</ref>

The presidential election results were announced on 24 July 2015. Nkurunziza won the election with 69.41% of the vote. [[Agathon Rwasa]] was placed second and credited with 18.99% despite calling for a boycott.<ref name="ret24">[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-burundi-election-results-idUSKCN0PY1TN20150724 "Nkurunziza wins third term as Burundi president: electoral commission"], Reuters, 24 July 2015.</ref> This change of power led to an opening of social science research in the country, and later a reconsideration of the value and purpose of that research within the context of the larger political and societal violence.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Curtis |first=Devon E. A. |date=2019 |title=What Is Our Research For? Responsibility, Humility and the Production of Knowledge about Burundi |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45217069 |journal=Africa Spectrum |volume=54 |issue=1 |pages=4–21 |doi=10.1177/0002039719852229 |jstor=45217069 |issn=0002-0397}}</ref>

On 30 September 2016, the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]] established the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi through resolution 33/24. Its mandate is to "conduct a thorough investigation into human rights violations and abuses committed in Burundi since April 2015, to identify alleged perpetrators and to formulate recommendations."<ref>{{cite web|title=OHCHR - Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Burundi|url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIBurundi/Pages/CoIBurundi.aspx|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011072710/http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoIBurundi/Pages/CoIBurundi.aspx|archive-date=11 October 2017|access-date=10 October 2017|website=www.ohchr.org}}</ref> The Human Rights Council extended the mandate of the commission for another year in September 2017. On 29 September 2017 the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi called on Burundian government to put an end to serious [[human rights violations]]. It further stressed that, "The Burundian government has so far refused to cooperate with the Commission of Inquiry, despite the Commission's repeated requests and initiatives."<ref name="ohchr.org2">{{cite web|title=OHCHR - Commission calls on Burundian government to put an end to serious human rights violations|url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22184&LangID=E|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011021822/http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=22184&LangID=E|archive-date=11 October 2017|access-date=10 October 2017|website=www.ohchr.org}}</ref> The Commission conducted interviews with more than 500 Burundian refugees abroad and others who remained in their country and reached the conclusion that "serious human rights violations and abuses have been committed in Burundi since April 2015. The violations the Commission documented include [[Arrests|arbitrary arrests]] and detentions, acts of [[torture]] and cruel, [[inhuman or degrading treatment]], [[extrajudicial execution]]s, [[enforced disappearances]], [[rape]] and other forms of sexual violence."<ref name="ohchr.org2"/>