Protests flare in Burundi as UN seeks end to violence

Protesters in Burundi clashed with police Tuesday just three days before parliamentary elections as the United Nations pushed for action to halt the violence that has left dozens dead. Police fired live rounds and tear gas to break up groups of demonstrators trying to gather in the three hotspot neighbourhoods of Cibitoke, Musaga and Nyakabiga in the capital Bujumbura. Parliamentary elections are set for Friday ahead of a presidential vote on June 26 that will see President Pierre Nkurunziza stand for a third term, despite opposition calls for him to cede power. After East African leaders at the weekend called for postponing the elections for at least six weeks, the UN’s political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman met with Burundi’s Vice President Prosper Bazombanza. More than 30 people have died in the protests that began when Nkurunziza announced in late April that he would stand for re-election after Burundi’s constitutional court gave him the green light.

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