Electoral officials gather in the courtyard of the administrative
building of the Bwiza district of Bujumbura, where ballots are counted
on. Burundians voted in controversial elections marked by grenade
attacks, an opposition boycott and international condemnation, with the
election commission claiming an "enormous" turnout despite many polling
stations remaining quiet. AFP PHOTO
Nearly 10,000 Burundians fled the country over
the weekend before Burundi closed its borders ahead of controversial and
violence-wracked elections in the troubled central African nation, the
United Nations said Tuesday.
Since Burundi's political turmoil began in April,
some 144,000 people have fled the country, with the numbers surging
towards the end of last week, the UN refugee agency said.
"The pace this weekend spiked... We saw over the
weekend 10,000 more Burundians fleeing the country," UNHCR spokeswoman
Melissa Fleming told reporters in Geneva.
More than 6,000 had arrived in neighbouring Tanzania alone over the two-day period, bringing the total there to around 66,600.
Another 56,500 are in Rwanda, 11,500 in Democratic Republic of Congo and more than 9,000 in Uganda, UNHCR said.
Burundian officials closed the borders late Sunday
ahead of Monday's controversial parliamentary polls -- something they
claim is common practice during elections -- and plan to reopen them
late Tuesday.
"Over the last 48 hours, refugees and people
trying to flee have been resorting to trying to cross informal border
crossings through the forest to leave the country," Fleming said.
People arriving in neighbouring countries have
told aid workers that roads are being blocked and that people suspected
of heading to the border are being forced off buses, she said.
"Many said they had to walk for hours through the
bush without luggage so as not to attract the attention of the militia
and the police," she said.
"We are concerned that people who want to flee to
seek asylum, who fear their lives are in danger ... are not able to
leave the country," she added.
The troubled central African nation has been in
crisis since late April over President Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial
bid to stand for a third consecutive five-year term, a move branded by
opponents as unconstitutional and a violation of a peace deal that ended
13 years of civil war in 2006.
The opposition boycotted Monday's parliamentary elections, which precede the planned presidential vote on July 15.
While the flood of refugees leaving Burundi
initially consisted largely of women and children, Fleming said a
growing number of men were now leaving.
They had told aid workers they fled because of the
breakdown in diplomatic negotiations and over fear the ongoing violence
will escalate leading up to the July 15 presidential vote.
"They're very concerned that the country is going
to break down," Fleming said, adding that international appeals for
funds to assist the refugees was "not meeting with much donor
generosity."A month ago, UNHCR and its partners appealed for $207 million to help
protect and help up to 200,000 Burundian refugees, but have so far
received just 13 percent of that amount
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