Prince Zeid Bin Raad warns against reprisals after failed coup

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid Bin Ra’ad, Friday evening warned that Burundi is at risk of descending further into chaos.

"I am deeply worried by the extremely tense situation in Burundi. We are receiving alarming messages from human rights defenders and journalists fearing for their safety," the High Commissioner said in a press release .

The UN official urged the Burundian authorities to ensure that the instigators of the failed coup are not harmed and that there are no reprisals against their perceived supporters, journalists, human rights activists and the many civilian protesters.

The attempted coup d’état in the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, was set in motion on 13 May after President Pierre Nkurunziza left for the Summit of the East African Community with hopes of resolving the country's long-running political crisis.

Tensions have been running high in Burundi since popular protests erupted after the country’s ruling National Council for the Defence of Democracy – Forces for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) party nominated on 26 April Mr. Nkurunziza as its presidential candidate for a third term.

The ensuing violence has sent thousands of people fleeing to neighboring countries, according to the UN.