EU rolls over Burundi sanctions

The EU on Thursday rolled over travel ban and asset freeze sanctions against four prominent Burundi figures for another year amid continued turmoil in the east African country.

In March, the European Union, Burundi's biggest aid donor, suspended all funding to the government over its human rights record and for failing to halt violence since President Pierre Nkurunziza won a third term last year which the opposition said was illegal.

The European Council of EU member states said the sanctions targeted four individuals "deemed to be undermining democracy or obstructing the search for a political solution to the crisis in Burundi."

"These activities include acts of violence, repression or incitement to violence and acts which constitute serious human rights violations," a statement said.

The four were not named in Friday's statement, which rolled the sanctions over until October 31.

But the original 2015 sanctions decision listed Godefroid Bizimana, then deputy head of the national police; Gervais Ndirakobuca, alias Ndakugarika, who ran the police; intelligence agent Mathias-Joseph Niyonzima and former general Leonard Ngendakumana.