Six people, including one police officer, have been killed in gun battles in Burundi’s capital as the nation awaits election results from Monday’s parliamentary poll.
According to a security source, the clashes in Bujumbura’s Cibitoke district, took place after three grenades were thrown at a police patrol, injuring two officers.
More than 70 people have been killed in two months of protests and a failed coup attempt sparked by the president’s bid, with almost 144,000 refugees fleeing into neighbouring nations.
Five of those killed Wednesday were members of an armed group who were “neutralized”, police said, adding that they had seized weapons, including a rifle and a rocket-propelled grenade.
The Cibitoke suburb was sealed off on Wednesday by security forces, an AFP photographer said, and it was not possible to independently confirm police reports.
Burundi has been hit by violence since the announcement in April that the ruling party had nominated President Pierre Nkurunziza to be its candidate in presidential elections set for July 15.
Protesters say Nkurunziza must go after serving two terms, the maximum allowed under the country’s constitution.
But Nkurunziza’s supporters say he is eligible for a third term because he was chosen by lawmakers — and not popularly elected — for his first term, and the constitutional court has ruled in the president’s favor.
At least 77 people have died in street protests opposing Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term, according to rights activists. Hundreds more have been wounded.
The street protests boiled over in mid-May, leading to an attempted coup.
On Monday, Burundians voted in parliamentary elections despite persistent calls from the international community for the polls to be postponed until the country is peaceful enough. Results are expected to be announced later this week.
