Around 4 a.m., the unknown attackers wearing civilian clothing reach two military installations in the capital and one in the countryside, showing a degree of military sophistication. “The army has defeated them seriously”, the spokesman said, while Bujumbura residents reported continuing gunfire into the afternoon. At least 15 people were killed as gunfire and explosions rocked the capital, marking a steep escalation of a simmering conflict.
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Exchanges of fire could still be heard in several neighbourhoods of Bujumbura by 8:30 early on Friday, when most people would be heading to work.
Burundi has been on edge for months amid protests and violence originally sparked by Mr. Nkurunziza’s decision to run for a third term despite a constitutional provision limiting the president to two.
In coordinated attacks, gunmen stormed three military installations in Burundi on Friday.
The UN and several foreign embassies on Friday urged their employees to stay at home and lock their doors.
Many residents of these neighborhoods say, however, that police are simply targeting those who participated in demonstrations against the president. “Pray for us because we will die!”
A government spokesman confirmed the attacks on Twitter, referring to the gunmen as “Sindumuja”, meaning “I am not a slave”, a name sometimes used for the insurgents. He also said the aim of the “armed gang” was to free prisoners. The violence in the capital forced two airlines to cancel Friday’s flights to the city, officials said, with one carrier saying there had been a security incident at the airport. Nevertheless, since they weren’t authorized to talk to the media, military officials, who insisted on anonymity, said three soldiers were killed.
This crisis led to the killing of more than 300 persons and forced some 200,000 persons into exile in neighboring countries.
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Till now, battle lines in Burundi’s crisis have followed the political divide, but Western powers and regional nations fear old ethnic rifts could reopen if violence continues unchecked.
