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Burundi violence kills 87 people

The revolt came about as he chose to seek a third term in office, despite the fact he was voted in on a disputed election result in May.

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Army spokesman Gaspard Baratuza said 79 attackers were killed and 45 others were captured when gunmen attacked three military sites in Bujumbura.

At least 21 bodies have been found lying in the streets of Burundi’s capital as unrest continues, witnesses and a police source said on Saturday.

According to the reporters, three military installations had been stormed by the gunmen in the coordinated attacks in Burundi before dawn on Friday.

Witnesses told Xinhua scores of dead bodies were also founded in Musaga neighborhood.

Fear gripped the capital amid the sounds of battle that persisted through the day Friday and overnight.

But on Saturday morning horrified residents of different neighbourhoods awoke to find at least 39 corpses scattered in the streets.

A woman mourns after her son was killed during gunfire in the Nyakabiga neighbourhood of Burundi’s capital Bujumbura, December 12, 2015. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns, said some of the dead had their hands tied to their backs.

Baratuza indicated that after attacking Ngagara military barrack, part of the assailants hid in Jabe and Nyakabiga and security forces “pursued” them, killing the remaining assailants. He declined to take questions from journalists.

Residents said some of Friday’s dead were killed after being rounded up by the police in house-to-house searches, an allegation the police denied.

An attempt by rebels to topple the president in May failed, but one of the generals behind the unsuccessful coup said in July that the rebel group was still planning to get rid of the leader.

State department spokesman John Kirby said the USA was deeply concerned about the violence and called for neighbouring countries to put pressure on the East African landlocked state to start negotiations with opposition groups.

Western governments have urged Burundi’s government and the political opposition to stop fighting and negotiate.

The UN Security Council has strongly condemned the violence, and U.S. ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said the council should look at “how the worldwide community can protect civilians from mass violence, including for the possible deployment of a regionally led peace support operation”.

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The United Nations said violence since then has killed more than 240 people and prompted more than 200,000 Burundians to flee the country.

87 Killed In Burundi Clashes Army