The European Union on Monday lifted sanctions placed on Burundi after meetings between the EU ambassador to the country and the President of the Central African country.
The announcement was made by Burundi’s presidency and comes one year after President Evariste Ndayishimiye’s rose to the seat of power.
With the suspension being lifted, Burundi will no longer be subject to article 96, which suspended financial cooperation between the European Union and the country.
The sanctions, which also include the blacklisting of several members of the regime, were imposed in 2016, as citizens protested former president Pierre Nkurunziza’s candidacy to a third mandate.
The publication of these sanctions stirred in turn a wave of protests against the EU.
Despite some rejoicing at the lifting of sanctions, human rights group had warned of the situation in the country, and said dozens of new cases of torture had been documented, since the 2020 elections.
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