THE Prime Minister of Burundi, Mr Pascal Firmin Ndimira, appealed to Burundians yesterday not to panic over sanctions imposed on the country, while Amnesty International accused the new Tutsi junta of ethnic killings.
Mr Ndimira made his appeal on state radio as sanctions by Burundi's neighbours began to bite.
The blockade is aimed at forcing the Tutsi strongman, Maj Pierre Buyoya, to restore civilian rule. He seized power on July 25th from President Sylvestre Ntibantunganya, a Hutu.
"I appeal to the population not to give in to panic," the new Prime Minister said. "We will find an internal solution, we will mobilise our administration, our peasants, and we will continue production."
The Commerce Minister, Mr Frederic Nzabampaema, said the land locked country had enough food and fuel stocks, but did not specify for how long.
A UN official said Kenya had turned back a UN relief flight from Burundi as part of the sanctions.
Ms Brenda Barton, a spokeswoman for the UN World Food Programme, said the aircraft was refused landing at Nairobi airport and diverted to the Rwandan capital Kigali.
"It now seems clear that we are part and parcel of the sanctions, but we're urgently seeking clarification," she said, adding that the incident was the third since African leaders agreed last Wednesday on the sanctions.
Amnesty International has accused the Tutsi led army of killing more than 200 Hutu civilians since it seized power.
"Despite claims by the new Burundi military leader, Maj Pierre Buyoya, that he wants to stop genocide in Burundi, massacres by government forces and armed groups continue unabated" the human rights organisation said in its report.
The coup returned to power the Tutsis who, outnumbered four to one by Hutus, fear they will perish unless they control the country. About 150,000 people have been killed in fighting between the army and Hutu rebels since 1993.
Maj Buyoya justified his coup by saying that only the army could save Burundi from genocide.
Pressure on the military government gathered momentum yesterday. The South African Deputy President, Mr Thabo Mbeki, said at OAU headquarters in Addis Ababa that his country was committed to African efforts to tighten the screws on Maj Buyoya.
Sanctions by Kenya and Tanzania are already in force. The price of salt doubled and several petrol stations ran out of fuel in the capital.