At least two people have been killed in Burundi in the ongoing forceful disarmament exercise by security forces, and a police officer was also wounded in gun battles in the capital, Bujumbura.
The clashes came on the second day of a huge security operation launched after a government weapons amnesty ended on Saturday night.
Hundreds of police officers and soldiers have reportedly entered opposition strongholds in search for weapons.
The operation has raised alarm in the international community over fears that it would unleash further clashes in the country that is still recovering from a 13-year civil war that ended in 2006.
Gunmen reportedly attacked a bar late on Saturday and killed nine people, just hours before the amnesty ended. Bujumbura was however reported to be largely calm overnight on Sunday.
Many residents living in parts of Bujumbura that are considered opposition strongholds have fled the capital, nearly living the districts empty.
The UN Security Council is due to meet on Monday to discuss the deteriorating situation.
But Burundi’s government has dismissed concerns over its deadline to hand in illegal weapons, saying it wanted only to crush “terrorism”.
