/ 14 October 1999

UN SUSPENDS BURUNDI OPERATIONS

THE United Nations has suspended all its operations in Burundi after the execution style killing of two of its workers and seven others on Tuesday. A UN spokesperson said the suspension was intended as “a mark of respect” to the two officials and would last for three days. “We will most likely resume activities next week if we feel we can put in place the necessary measures to guarantee the security of our staff,” said Michele Quintaglie of the World Food Programme. The move is in response to the murder of nine people — including two senior United Nations officials — in the south-east of the country. The dead included the UN Children’s Agency representative in Burundi, Luis Manuel Zuniga, from Chile, and the World Food Programme logistics officer Saskia Von Meijenfeldt, from the Netherlands. The rebels placed six members of the UN team against a wall and shot them at close range.