NEW YORK
The UN Security Council on Thursday denounced a coup attempt in Burundi, threatening further measures if violence continues.
The 15-member body “condemned the violent unrest in Burundi and specifically condemned both those who facilitate violence of any kind against civilians and those who seek to seize power by unlawful means,” said Lithuania's UN envoy Raimonda Murmokaite, who heads the Council in May.
Earlier, the Council received a briefing from UN's special envoy for the Great Lakes region of Africa, Said Djinnit, on the situation in the country.
The Security Council’s statement came a day after Burundi's former intelligence chief Godefroid Niyombare announced the "dismissal" of President Pierre Nkurunziza -- in power since 2005 -- and his government amid ongoing anti-government protests that have paralyzed the country for almost three weeks.
The Council called for "the swift return of the rule of law" and threatened to consider unspecified further actions against "violent acts that threaten peace and security in Burundi."
Protest began in late April, when the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy named incumbent President Nkurunziza its candidate for the June presidential polls.
At least 22 demonstrators have been since killed in protests and clashes.
The country's opposition says Nkurunziza does not have the legal right to seek a third term, citing the constitution that limits presidential terms to two.
Burundi's Constitutional Court, however, has ruled Nkurunziza's third-term bid would not violate the national charter.
