NAIROBI: At least four people have died in renewed clashes in Burundi, where tensions remain high following President Pierre Nkurunziza’s controversial re-election, officials and witnesses said on Wednesday.

Police and witnesses said clashes erupted overnight in several parts of the central African nation’s capital Bujumbura, with the night marked by sporadic gunfire and explosions. Police blamed armed “insurgents” for the violence.

“Two insurgents were killed this morning when they fired on police in Jabe (district) and their weapons were seized,” deputy police chief Godefroid Bizimana said, adding that search operations were ongoing.

Two more bodies were found on Wednesday between the districts of Musaga and Kanyosha, witnesses and official sources said.

“Since this morning, the district of Musaga is ringed by police and the army. —AFP

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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