The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday said it opened a preliminary examination into the situation in conflict-ridden Burundi to see whether crimes were committed.
Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said at The Hague that in the course of the ongoing crisis, more than 430 Burundians were reportedly killed, at least 3,400 arrested and over 230,000 forced to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.
She said her office reviewed a number of communications and reports detailing acts of killing, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, as well as cases of enforced disappearances.
Burundi, which ratified the treaty that established the ICC, had been experiencing political upheaval since April 2015.
The ICC investigates crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide