It found a parallel system of government in which major decisions, including some that led to severe human rights violations, were made by President Pierre Nkurunziza and a small entourage of people close to him.

The three-person panel set up by the UN Human Rights Council found that for more than two years, critics of President Pierre Nkurunziza and independent activists have disappeared into secret detention centers, been killed or escaped to neighboring countries

The more than 500 witnesses interviewed recounted torture and rape at the hands of the military and the police.

The team believes Burundi’s top leaders and state security agencies committed crimes against humanity.

Their report is going to the 47-countries UN Human Rights Council. One of its members is Burundi.

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It opens the way for investigations by the world organization to investigate abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people.

Two months ago, the 47-member UN Human Rights Council, based in Geneva, appointed Vitit Muntarbhorn of Thailand, as a special rapporteur investigating  abuses against LGBTI people.

In the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, which deals with human rights, Africans yesterday proposed the work of the investigator should be suspended.

Latin American countries, supported by Western nations and South Africa successfully proposed an amendment that gutted the African group’s draft resolution.

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