Burundi: Dozens Killed in Attacks on Military Bases

Local Editor

Gunmen launched Friday coordinated attacks on two army barracks in Burundi's capital of Bujumbura, with dozens of people killed.

According to a senior military officer, the fighting erupted early Friday at about 4:00 am local time when "heavily armed men" assaulted a base at Ngagara in the city's north and an institute of military training in Musaga in the south.

However, some media reports quoted sources as saying that two soldiers and five attackers were killed in the clashes. They further added that three military sites came under attack.

Meanwhile, gunfire could still be heard in several neighborhoods of the city on Friday morning while no one was in the streets as residents chose to stay home.

So far, hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands have fled Burundi since protests began in April against President Pierre Nkurunziza's quest for a third term.

Nkurunziza won the controversial election in July. His third term has widely been censured as unconstitutional by the country's opposition.

The opposition says that the move runs counter to the constitution, which only allows two successive terms, as well as the 2,000 Arusha Agreement that paved the way for ending the civil war in the country.

The African country also saw a failed coup in May sparked by Nkurunziza's bid for a third term.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team