White House to drop Burundi from trade benefits program on Jan. 1

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama notified the U.S. Congress on Friday that he plans to drop Burundi from the African Growth and Opportunity Act trade benefits program as of Jan. 1 because of violence related to a political crisis in the country.

"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 (Pierre) Nkurunziza to power earlier this year," Obama said in a letter to Congress.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Eric Beech)

You May Also Be Interested In

• US employer healthcare costs set to rise 9.5% in 2027, Aon says
• Fed's Daly tells Bloomberg she's focused on mandates amid Treasury actions
• Exclusive-Soccer-Regional powerhouses weigh no-confidence vote in bid to oust Infantino - sources