Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza said the country will defend itself against any peacekeepers the African Union plans to send to quell its eight-month political crisis. "If these troops come, it will be seen as an attack and the country will stand up to defend itself," Nkurunziza said in comments broadcast Wednesday on national radio. He said Burundi's borders and sovereignty should be respected. The African Union on Dec. 18 approved the deployment of as many as 5,000 peacekeepers to Burundi, where violence spurred by Nkurunziza's bid for a third term has left more than 400 people dead since April. Two of its East African neighbors, Rwanda and Tanzania, have already ruled out contributing troops. African Union troops can't come without the United Nations' consent, Nkurunziza said. He didn't say if approval by the UN would then mean Burundi's government would accept the deployment.
