Police fired on protesters who took to the streets of Burundi’s capital on Tuesday in renewed protests against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to run for a third term in office, witnesses said. Protesters said they were angry that a weekend summit of African leaders had not urged Nkurunziza to halt his bid but only urged a delay in elections.
Witnesses in Cibitoke and Musaga, two volatile districts of Bujumbura, said the police shot at protesters in the morning. One demonstrator in Musaga was wounded in the clashes and four others arrested, witnesses said.
Police have routinely denied shooting any protesters, who have often burned tires and hurled rocks at security forces during several weeks of unrest.
Opponents of the president say he is violating the constitution by running, while supporters say a constitutional court ruling allows him to enter the race again. The crisis is the worst since the end of an ethnically fueled civil war in 2005.
