The UN Security Council on Friday warned that upcoming elections in Burundi could turn violent and vowed to take action against those who are fomenting unrest.
Police on Friday fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters in Bujumbura calling for President Pierre Nkurunziza to step aside and not run for a third term.
The Burundian constitution states that no president can serve for longer than 10 years. Nkurunziza’s supporters argue his first term should not count because he was selected by lawmakers rather than elected by voters. (Reuters)
“The tensions have caused more than 8,000 Burundians to flee to neighboring Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last two weeks, the United Nations refugee agency said Friday. More than 60 percent of the Burundians who went to Rwanda were children, and the number of refugees could increase “with more political tension rising and more acts of violence being reported,” UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told Agence France-Presse in Geneva.
Burundi is scheduled to hold its general elections beginning next month.
