UN says Burundi forces closure of its rights office there

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Burundi's government has forced the United Nations human rights office in the troubled East African country to close after 23 years, the U.N. rights chief announced with "deep regret" on Tuesday.

Burundi in December asked the U.N. office to leave, months after the outgoing U.N. rights chief called the country one of the "most prolific slaughterhouses of humans in recent times."

New rights chief Michelle Bachelet said in a statement that human rights gains in Burundi have been "seriously jeopardized" since 2015. That is when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced he would run for another, disputed term, leading to months of violence that the U.N. has said killed more than 1,200 people.