A man died and as many as 15 other people were injured as clashes
over a bid by the country’s president for a third term continued on
Thursday in Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura.
It was reported that a soldier was shot dead and and a civilian injured in one incident. There were conflicting reports on who fired the shots, with some suggesting it was an intelligence officer.
At least six people have now been killed in clashes with the police, according to the Burundi Red Cross.
The unrest moved into its fifth day on Thursday, following the announcement that the incumbent Pierre Nkurunziza had been nominated by the ruling CNDD-FDD party on Saturday to stand in the presidential election in June.
Nkurunziza has been warned that his candidacy is unconstitutional, while a senior US diplomat said on Thursday that Burundi risked boiling over if it smothers political opposition.
Social media sites including Twitter and Facebook have been blocked by authorities, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
AFP said the soldier died and the civilian was hurt when an intelligence officer opened fire near a barricade erected by protesters. The agency cited a senior police officer speaking on condition of anonymity.
It quoted the source as saying that the officer was “at a spot where the demonstrators had built a barricade. He felt threatened. He shot and hit a soldier who was killed”. The source described the shooting as “an unfortunate incident”.
But the Reuters news agency reported that the identities of the gunmen, of which there were six, were unknown. It said they had been arrested by the army.
The country’s national university was closed on Thursday. Students could be seen heading home under police watch, according to AP.
UN rights experts warned that Burundi could lapse into fresh conflict following the president’s move to extend his mandate.
Opposition figures and rights groups say Nkurunziza’s bid to stand for a third straight term goes against both the constitution and a peace deal that ended a civil war in 2006.
“Over the past days, Burundi has suffered a wave of killings, arbitrary arrests, detention, the closure of media outlets and the targeting of human rights defenders,” the experts said in a statement.
They said the ruling party openly condoned the violence, adding that “an electoral process that lacks credibility - not to speak about one that triggers outright violence - is a huge setback for Burundi”.
The UN experts said the gains made by Burundi over the past 15 years “will be put in jeopardy if the authorities fail to take measures to prevent further violations”.
They added: “In a society which has witnessed cycles of recurring violence on a massive scale for close to 50 years, and in which victims have seen no redress for the violations suffered, no one can afford another conflict.”
Washington also expressed its disappointment. Tom Malinowski, the US assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labour, arrived in Burundi on Wednesday to try to prevent unrest from escalating.
Protesters say Nkurunziza is violating the constitution and jeopardising a peace deal that has kept ethnic tensions in check since a civil war ended in 2005. The presidency says the protests are an “insurrection”.
Nkurunziza’s supporters say he is eligible to run again, since his first term in office followed his election by parliament – not directly by the people as the constitution specifies.
After meeting Nkurunziza, Malinowski told reporters he had urged him to allow peaceful criticism and room for political opposition before the vote.
“I left the president with the thought that this country with its very complicated and difficult history is like a boiling pot, and that if you try to put a lid on that pot it doesn’t stop boiling. It risks boiling over,” Malinowski said.
Nkurunziza told Malinowski that protests against him were illegal but that the opposition would not be restricted, according to presidential spokesman Gervais Abayeho.
According to Reuters, the president said “political space would be respected and there is no restriction whatsoever to anybody who is engaged in political competition. Everyone has a role to play”.
Source- The Guardian
It was reported that a soldier was shot dead and and a civilian injured in one incident. There were conflicting reports on who fired the shots, with some suggesting it was an intelligence officer.
At least six people have now been killed in clashes with the police, according to the Burundi Red Cross.
The unrest moved into its fifth day on Thursday, following the announcement that the incumbent Pierre Nkurunziza had been nominated by the ruling CNDD-FDD party on Saturday to stand in the presidential election in June.
Nkurunziza has been warned that his candidacy is unconstitutional, while a senior US diplomat said on Thursday that Burundi risked boiling over if it smothers political opposition.
Social media sites including Twitter and Facebook have been blocked by authorities, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
AFP said the soldier died and the civilian was hurt when an intelligence officer opened fire near a barricade erected by protesters. The agency cited a senior police officer speaking on condition of anonymity.
It quoted the source as saying that the officer was “at a spot where the demonstrators had built a barricade. He felt threatened. He shot and hit a soldier who was killed”. The source described the shooting as “an unfortunate incident”.
But the Reuters news agency reported that the identities of the gunmen, of which there were six, were unknown. It said they had been arrested by the army.
The country’s national university was closed on Thursday. Students could be seen heading home under police watch, according to AP.
UN rights experts warned that Burundi could lapse into fresh conflict following the president’s move to extend his mandate.
Opposition figures and rights groups say Nkurunziza’s bid to stand for a third straight term goes against both the constitution and a peace deal that ended a civil war in 2006.
“Over the past days, Burundi has suffered a wave of killings, arbitrary arrests, detention, the closure of media outlets and the targeting of human rights defenders,” the experts said in a statement.
They said the ruling party openly condoned the violence, adding that “an electoral process that lacks credibility - not to speak about one that triggers outright violence - is a huge setback for Burundi”.
The UN experts said the gains made by Burundi over the past 15 years “will be put in jeopardy if the authorities fail to take measures to prevent further violations”.
They added: “In a society which has witnessed cycles of recurring violence on a massive scale for close to 50 years, and in which victims have seen no redress for the violations suffered, no one can afford another conflict.”
Washington also expressed its disappointment. Tom Malinowski, the US assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labour, arrived in Burundi on Wednesday to try to prevent unrest from escalating.
Protesters say Nkurunziza is violating the constitution and jeopardising a peace deal that has kept ethnic tensions in check since a civil war ended in 2005. The presidency says the protests are an “insurrection”.
Nkurunziza’s supporters say he is eligible to run again, since his first term in office followed his election by parliament – not directly by the people as the constitution specifies.
After meeting Nkurunziza, Malinowski told reporters he had urged him to allow peaceful criticism and room for political opposition before the vote.
“I left the president with the thought that this country with its very complicated and difficult history is like a boiling pot, and that if you try to put a lid on that pot it doesn’t stop boiling. It risks boiling over,” Malinowski said.
Nkurunziza told Malinowski that protests against him were illegal but that the opposition would not be restricted, according to presidential spokesman Gervais Abayeho.
According to Reuters, the president said “political space would be respected and there is no restriction whatsoever to anybody who is engaged in political competition. Everyone has a role to play”.
Source- The Guardian
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