World Bulletin / News Desk

At least 277 people have been killed in Burundi since the outbreak of the political and security crisis in April 2015, the United Nations said in a statement Wednesday.

The statement also said that more than 280,000 Burundians sought refuge in neighboring countries, or had been displaced internally over the same time period.

The statement also condemned the suspension of 10 nongovernmental organizations which campaigned against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s third-term and warned that the country was falling into a “full-fledged civil war”.

“This suspension appears to be an attempt by Burundian authorities to silence dissenting voices and to limit the democratic space,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said.

“It reduces the chances of success of the proposed inter-Burundian dialogue, a key step to moving the country away from the increasingly bloody path it has been following over the past few months. This is deeply regrettable,” al-Hussein added.

Regarding the ongoing conflict in the country, Zeid added that "targeted attacks are on the rise and have spread in areas of Bujumbura previously considered safe".

Burundi has been gripped by instability since April when the ruling party named Nkurunziza -- in power since 2005 -- as its candidate for the presidency.

Mostly opposition politicians but also Nkurunziza supporters have been killed amid political turbulence that began when the president announced plans to run for a third term.