President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi asserted on Tuesday Egypt's interest in Burundi's efforts towards reaching a political agreement for the country's stability during his meeting with Burundi's chief of the military cabinet of the president, brigadier general Ildephonse Habarurema, according to a statement. During the meeting, Habarurema delivered a message by Burundi's president Pierre Nkurunziza to Al-Sisi, expressing gratitude for Egypt's support for Burundi in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), reassuring his country's commitment to cooperate with Egypt and enhance the two countries' bilateral relations. Burundi has witnessed a state of unrest after its president Pierre Nkurunziza was re-elected to a third term in 2013, which sparked anger among the opposition and terminated the peace agreement that ended a civil war in 2005. The electoral process was highly critised by international organisations due to alleged intimidation of the oppositions, the press, and activists. According to the UN, more than 400 people have been killed and 260,000 have fled the country in the year since the violence broke out over Nkurunziza's plan to run for a third term. Egypt has supported Burundi's president in the UNSC as he rejected the deployment of UN forces to end political violence in August 2016.
