European diplomats are quoted as saying that the EU plans to reduce funding for Burundi’s lucrative peacekeeping force in Somalia as a way of putting pressure on the Burundian president, Pierre Nkurunziza.

The diplomats told Reuters news agency the money would no longer be channelled through the government.

The international community is pushing for Mr Nkurunziza to enter talks with the opposition to avert a full-scale conflict.

The 20% kept by the state, worth about $13m (£9m) a year, would be cut.

More than 5,000 Burundian soldiers serve in the 22,000-strong African Union force in Somalia