‘I freely resigned as AU High Representative for Mali and the Sahel’ – Buyoya
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The African Union's High Representative for Mali and the Sahel (Misahel), also former president of Burundi, Pierre Buyoya, has said he resigned "of his own free will" from his position as AU High Representative.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday at his office in Bamako, Buyoya said that he took the decision "to defend himself and clear his name in the so-called assassination of President Melchior N'dadaye", for which he was sentenced in October to life imprisonment along with other prominent figures in Burundi.
Buyoya claims his innocence in the assassination of the first democratically elected president in Burundi. He described the trial as "political" and a violation of the basic rights of defence as prescribed by Burundian and international laws.
According to him, the trial for the assassination of President N'dadaye is 27 years old, and it has been regularly investigated and judged, but above all is statute-barred under Burundian law.
"For reasons I don't know, the leaders of my country have instructed the judiciary to reopen the case and the most curious thing is that the court has put up a whole bunch of obstacles to prevent us from putting forward our means of defence," he regretted.
The former Burundian president highlighted the "refusal to grant visas to their foreign lawyers and to allow Burundian lawyers access to the file and that of the clerk's office to receive their appeal files" and considered that everything was orchestrated to condemn them in absentia.
Buyoya intends to use all possible means to ensure that the truth prevails. "I will appeal my conviction to national and international courts," he said.
On rumours that he has applied for political asylum in Mali, Buyoya said that to date no decision has been taken on this matter. Also, he has not yet chosen the place from where he would have time to organise his defence.
Buyoya thanked the AU leaders for their confidence in allowing him to participate in efforts to consolidate security, good governance and development in the Sahel region.
Despite the many challenges in the Sahel region, Buyoya believes that the authorities and peoples of this part of the African continent have the capacity to address the situation and build lasting peace.
-0- PANA GT/IS/MTA/AR 26Nov2020
