Three die as take to Burundi’s streets

AT least three protesters have been killed and 45 wounded in Burundi, according to the Red Cross, as demonstrations against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to seek a third term in office entered a second week.

Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, a veteran member of the civil society groups, which called for the rallies yesterday, had earlier said two protesters were shot dead in the capital, Bujumbura.

The police had no immediate comment but said they would issue a statement later, the Reuters news agency reported.

Leading opposition figure, Agathon Rwasa, who threatened to boycott the coming presidential election unless Nkurunziza withdrew his candidacy, condemned the country’s police over the violence.

“It’s a shame President Nkurunziza goes on killing innocent and unarmed people…our police are more partisan than professional and discredit our nation,” Rwasa told Al Jazeera.

The protests would lead to the “fall of dictatorship and the rise of true democracy,” he added.