THREE Irish people currently in Burundi are all safe and well, the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed yesterday. All have been in contact, and two of the three were in compounds in Bujumbura, a spokeswoman said.
As details of yesterday's political crisis in Burundi emerged, the Department said that the Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Spring, was keeping "in close contact" with the situation, through the EU special envoy to the region, Mr Aldo Ajello.
The EU presidency, be said, was consulting within the union with a view to supporting a UN initiative to deal with the crisis.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Joan Burton, who has just returned from an eight day visit to Africa, said that Ireland would support in principle the creation of a regional force which might be despatched to Burundi.
The Irish development agency, Trocaire, issued an urgent appeal for funds yesterday to help with the current crisis. Its staff in the transit camp in Butare was on stand by for an expected influx of up to 100,000 refugees from Burundi.
Oxfam warned that Burundi was "teetering dangerously" on the brink of a "double genocide" with both extremes of the political and ethnic divide committing widespread human rights abuses.