The U.N. Security Council is expected to unanimously adopt a resolution Thursday calling for an end to violence in Burundi and threatening sanctions against anyone who stands in the way of the search for a peaceful solution.
The measure expresses concern about "ongoing escalation of insecurity" in Burundi and the lack of dialogue among its parties. It also urges all sides to cooperate with mediation efforts led by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
The resolution calls on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to update the Council on the situation within 15 days and "present options on the future presence of the United Nations in Burundi."
Diplomats in New York said Wednesday the U.N. could rush peacekeepers into Burundi if calm does not return to the East African nation soon.
"The Security Council has come together in the course of this week to ensure we do everything possible to increase the pressure on the authorities in Bujumbura and warn against the dangers of mass atrocities," British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said.
Violence exploded in Burundi in April when President Pierre Nkurunziza said he was running for a third term - a move the opposition called unconstitutional. Nkurunziza was reelected in July in a vote the opposition boycotted.
Election related violence has killed at least 240 people and sent tens of thousands fleeing for their lives across the border.
The United States, European Union and Burundi's African neighbors fear the violence could result in another civil war between Tutsis and Hutus -- the same kind of fighting that brought on the genocide of Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda in 1994.
White House officials say President Barack Obama spoke of his "deep concern" about the situation in Burundi to South African President Jacob Zuma Wednesday.
Obama asked Zuma to keep working with others in the region to call for calm and push for talks to bring an end to the crisis.
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