Violence has continued to flare up in Burundi, as protesters clashed with police for a third day.
Anger in the streets has been rising against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for re-election for a third term.
Six people have so far died as a result of the violence while dozens have been injured.
Protests raged on in Burundi for a third day. Gunfire was heard and streets were barricaded in parts of the capital, Bujumbura.Police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of people protesting on the streets.
President Nkurunziza’s announcement that he would run in the June 26 elections is what triggered the current political crisis.
Most demonstrators are accusing the president of breaking the two-term limit set out in the constitution and the Arusha peace agreement that ended the 12-year long civil war in Burundi.
Authorities say about 24,000 people have fled from Burundi this month, as tensions mount ahead of presidential elections in June.
This includes 5,000, who crossed into Rwanda in the past weekend.
The army and police have been deployed to quell the protests, which have been described by government officials as an insurrection.
The African Union Commission has weighed in on the situation, with Deputy Chair Erastus Mwencha, stating that AU does not impose the type of leadership that a country should have .
”All we say is any country should respect its constitution. We call for the people of Burundi to be there for the principles they themselves have crafted, the spirit of Arusha. And the AU will not take a position on how that matter should be managed. Because there are courts there to interpret and let the people of Burundi sit together and dialogue and agree on the best way to manage the affairs of the country.”
Mwencha added that the situation is raising concerns especially since some lives have been lost lost but it’s also encouraging to see that security forces seem to be on top of the situation.
”We call for calmness,we call for dialogue and it’s really vital that this crisis be solved by the people of Burundi themselves,” added Mwancha.
