Burundi troops kill one, capture four in shootout with gunmen

Burundian troops killed a gunman and captured four others on Wednesday after battles with a group of nearly a dozen “bandits”, the latest violence in a simmering rebellion, a governor said.

The gunmen fought troops and police for nearly an hour in the southern Bururi province.

“A bandit was killed, four others captured, and guns recovered,” said local governor Christian Nkurunziza.

A poor country in central Africa struggling with a legacy of ethnic conflict, Burundi was plunged into crisis in April 2015 when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced he was running for a third term, a vote he won last July despite the opposition boycotting the ballot.

The violence, which began with the violent repression of anti-government demonstrations in the capital Bujumbura last year, has left more than 500 people dead and prompted more than 270,000 to flee the small central African country, according to the United Nations.

Government officials deny reports of an ongoing rebellion, blaming a string of attacks on the security forces on outlaws.