Tuesday 23 June 2015

Grenades, words fly in Burundi

The troubled central African nation has been in crisis since late April over President Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial bid to stand for a third consecutive five-year term, a move branded by opponents as unconstitutional and a violation of a 2006 peace deal that ended 13 years of civil war.
Many fear a repeat of that violence, which split the country along ethnic lines between majority Hutus and minority Tutsis.

Presidential communications chief Willy Nyamitwe blamed the opposition for the unrest, saying they wanted a replay of 2010, when they boycotted polls.
"This terror campaign has a similarity with what happened in the aftermath of 2010," he said.
Parliamentary elections are planned for June 29, ahead of the presidential vote on July 15.
The opposition rejected any involvement in violence, condemning the attacks "in the strongest terms" and accusing the government of trying to "exploit" them to get rid of their opponents.
The EU yesterday threatened sanctions against those involved in the violence.

No comments:

Post a Comment