Two Protesters Killed in Clashes With Police in Burundi

Sun Apr 26, 2015 12:33PM
presstv.ir

At least two anti-government protesters have been shot and killed in clashes with police in the Burundian capital city of Bujumbura.

The clashes erupted in many areas in the capital on Sunday as protesters were voicing opposition to the potential continuation in the presidency of Pierre Nkurunziza, who seeks a third term in office, local witnesses said

Witnesses added that one of the protesters was killed in the Ngagara district and the other one in the Musaga district of the capital.

The police used live ammunition, tear gas, and water cannon to disperse the protesters, who had openly defied a government ban on protests.

The protesters reportedly throw rocks at the police and set tires ablaze.

“We had called for peaceful protests and that is what happened, but the police and ruling party militia fired real bullets at the protesters,” said Frodebu Leonce Ngendakumana, a Burundian opposition leader.

Burundian riot police march past a burning tire roadblock following clashes with opposition protesters in a street in the capital Bujumbura, Burundi, April 26, 2015. ©AP
The witnesses added that several other protesters and police forces suffered injuries in the clashes.

Edouard Nduwimana, the interior minister of Burundi, slammed the incident, describing the development as “uprisings called for by certain politicians and civil society.”

The incident occurred a day after President Nkurunziza, who took office in 2005, launched his bid for a third term in office. His opponents, however, see his move as a violation of the constitution.

Burundi, a small nation in Africa’s Great Lakes region, emerged in 2005 from a brutal 12-year civil war.