[House Document 114-72]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]






114th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - House Document 114-72
_____________________________________________________________________

 
  TERMINATION OF BURUNDI AS BENEFICIARY UNDER THE AFRICAN GROWTH AND 
                            OPPORTUNITY ACT

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  from

                     THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

NOTIFICATION OF THE INTENT TO TERMINATE THE DESIGNATION OF THE REPUBLIC 
   OF BURUNDI AS A BENEFICIARY SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN COUNTRY UNDER THE 
 AFRICAN GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY ACT AS OF JANUARY 1, 2016, PURSUANT TO 
 THE AFRICAN GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY ACT SEC. 506A(a)(3)(B), AS AMENDED 
                       [19 U.S.C. 2466a(a)(3)(B)]

[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

                                   ______

                         U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 

59-011                         WASHINGTON : 2015 








  November 2, 2015.--Message and accompanying papers referred to the 
         Committee on Ways and Means and ordered to be printed
To the Congress of the United States:
    In accordance with section 506A(a)(3)(B) of the African 
Growth and Opportunity Act, as amended (AGOA) (19 U.S.C. 
2466a(a)(3)(B)), I am providing notification of my intent to 
terminate the designation of the Republic of Burundi (Burundi) 
as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African country under AGOA.
    I am taking this step because I have determined that the 
Government of Burundi has not established or is not making 
continual progress toward establishing the rule of law and 
political pluralism, as required by the AGOA eligibility 
requirements outlined in section 104 of the AGOA (19 U.S.C. 
3703). In particular, the continuing crackdown on opposition 
members, which has included assassinations, extra-judicial 
killings, arbitrary arrests, and torture, have worsened 
significantly during the election campaign that returned 
President Nkurunziza to power earlier this year. In addition, 
the Government of Burundi has blocked opposing parties from 
holding organizational meetings and campaigning throughout the 
electoral process. Police and armed youth militias with links 
to the ruling party have intimidated the opposition, 
contributing to nearly 200,000 refugees fleeing the country 
since April 2015. Accordingly, I intend to terminate the 
designation of Burundi as a beneficiary sub-Saharan African 
country under AGOA as of January 1, 2016.

                                                      Barack Obama.
    The White House, October 30, 2015.

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