|
 Army Chief of Staff General Prime Niyongabo's announcement came a
day after another general said he had sacked Nkurunziza for seeking
an unconstitutional third term in office.
Gunfire could still be heard in the capital, Bujumbura, and whether
the government had regained control was not clear.
The president, who was in Tanzania for an African leaders meeting on
Wednesday when the attempt to topple him was announced, called on
Burundians to "remain calm" in a message delivered via the
presidential website and his Twitter feed.
There was no official confirmation about the whereabouts of the
president, who sparked more than two weeks of protests by saying he
would seek another five years in office. Two Tanzanian sources said
he was in Dar es Salaam. One said he was at a "secure location".
"The coup attempt failed, loyal forces are still controlling all
strategic points," Niyongabo said in a statement broadcast on state
radio.
In Burundi's civil war that ended in 2005, the army was commanded by
minority Tutsis who fought against rebel groups of the majority
Hutus, including one led by Nkurunziza.
The military has since been reformed to absorb rival factions, but
fault lines in its ranks have remained.
It was not immediately clear if the government was now fully back in
control, although police had returned to some streets which they had
left on Wednesday.
In one suburb, which had been a protest flashpoint, a group of young
men who tried to walk to the center of the city were blocked by
police officers, a Reuters witness said. In another location,
policemen were seen beating up a youth.
A journalist at the state broadcaster said heavy gunfire being was
heard around the state television and radio station in the capital
on Thursday morning, a Reuters witness said. Another reported loud
blasts in the city.
RADIO STATIONS ATTACKED
The Reuters witness said two private radio stations and a television
station were attacked by unknown men in police uniforms. The two
stations were among those that carried Major General Godefroid
Niyombare's announcement on Wednesday that he had sacked Nkurunziza.
Neither Niyombare nor his spokesmen were immediately available to
comment.
While Niyongabo was in Tanzania, the presidency dismissed the
declaration by Niyombare, who was fired as Nkurunziza's intelligence
chief in February, saying the coup had been "foiled".
Niyombare had said on Wednesday the capital's airport and all border
crossings were closed. It was not immediately clear if that was
still the case.
[to top of second column]
|
The East African leaders condemned the takeover attempt.
"East African leaders are determined to find a lasting solution to
Burundi's crisis," Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe told
reporters. "Africa does not want the leadership of any country to be
assumed by the barrel of a gun."
The continental body, the African Union, also condemned the
attempted coup. AU Commission Chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma
called for "the return to constitutional order" in a statement.
Activists say more than 20 people have been killed in weeks of
protest against Nkurunziza's re-election bid, plunging Burundi into
its worst crisis since the civil war ended in 2005.
The United Nations said more than 70,000 Burundians had fled to
neighboring states in a region which has a history of ethnic
fighting.
Western donors, which provide vital aid to finance the budget and
other institutions, have criticized Nkurunziza for running again.
The United States, which trains and equips the army, called on
Wednesday for all parties to end violence.
Opponents say Nkurunziza's bid for another five years in office
violates a two-term limit set down in the constitution and in the
peace deal that ended the civil war.
A constitutional court, however, ruled that the president could run,
finding that his first term, when he was picked by parliament rather
than by popular vote, did not count. Critics say the court is
biased.
(Additional reporting by Aaron Maasho in Addis Ababa; Writing by
George Obulutsa; Editing by Alex Richardson and Giles Elgood)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
