Thousands
took to the streets of Burundi to celebrate today after the army claimed
it had taken control of the east African country from embattled
President Pierre Nkurunziza - who has descried to take-over bid as
'imaginary'.
Cheering
crowds streamed onto the streets of Bujumbura, the nation's capital,
adding their joyful voices to the sounds of sporadic gunfire just hours
after Major General Godefroid Niyombare claimed to have removed the
president while he was in Tanzania meeting leaders from neighbouring
countries.
Nkurunka
has angered the country which he has ruled since 2005 after announcing
he intended to run for a third term - violating a two-term limit set
down in the constitution and in the Arusha peace deal that ended the
civil war the same year the President came to power.
The announcement spurred on a wave of anti-government protests which have left more than 20 dead, and many others injured.
However,
it is unclear how much support there is for the army's coup - which is
yet to be confirmed for definite by sources outside of the two opposing
groups.
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Celebrations: Thousands took to the streets of Burundi's impoverished capital after the army announced it had launched a coup
Coup: The army claims to have seized power from President Pierre Nkurunziza, who had launched a bid for a third term in office
Protests: People were angry with Nkurunziza as a third term in office is not allowed under the country's decade-old constitution
Violence: The police had opened fire on anti-government protesters a number of times over the past two weeks
The
Burundian Army announced in a radio broadcast they had seized control
of the country shortly after reports of police officers opening fire on
protesters this morning/
'Active
Forces of the Nation have decided to take charge of the country,' said
Godefroid Niyombareh, who was sacked by Nkurunziza as intelligence chief
earlier this year.
'President Pierre Nkurunziza is removed from office,' he added.
The
broadcast prompted hundreds of civilians to run through the streets of
the impoverished country's lakeside capital, cheering 'victory' and
waving the national flag.
Others sang in the streets, with some sitting on top of cars and even army tanks.
But
almost immediately a Twitter account for the Burundian presidential
office posted a message pouring cold water on the coup claims, saying
that a potential takeover of the country had 'failed'.
'A
group of soldiers mutinied this morning and made a fantasy declaration
of a coup d'etat,' said the statement. 'This attempted coup was foiled
and these people ... are sought by defense and security forces so they
are brought to justice.'
A presidential spokesman reiterated the sentiment this evening.
'We consider it as a joke, not as a military coup,' presidential aide Willy Niyamitwe told Reuters.
The
Tanzanian government said Nkurunziza had boarded a plane back to
Burundi earlier today - which promoted the army to shut the capital's
airport.
Late on Wednesday night, Nkurunziza's whereabouts was unclear.
Take over: Major
General Godefroid Niyombare (centre) arrives at the radio studios to
address the nation in Burundi's capital Bujumbura
Delight: Niyombare told the country he had deposed the President in the broadcast - sparking outpourings of joy
Power: These pictures appear to show support for the army - but it is not known who is in control any more
Confusion: Both are claiming the other
is done - although the police, said to be loyal to the presidential
office, have withdrawn from the streets
Unknown: A South African foreign
ministry spokesman said 'it's way too early to say' whether a coup had
actually taken place in Burundi
But it was hard to establish where the truth lay: the
state broadcaster, often a primary target in state takeovers in
Africa, was surrounded by troops. An employee inside said some soldiers had tried to enter while others resisted.
There was also little sign of the police, hated by protesters for breaking up
demonstrations by force and widely considered loyal to
Nkurunziza's party.
A
South African foreign ministry spokesman said 'it's way too early to
say' whether a coup had actually taken place in Burundi but added the
situation was being closely monitored.
Protest
organisers in the capital urged African leaders meeting in Tanzania
today to demand that their president halt his bid for a third term,
which has triggered the nation's worst crisis since an ethnically
fuelled civil war ended in 2005.
At
least two gunshots rang out as protesters returned to the streets of
Burundi's capital today. Activists say Nkurunziza's bid for another
five years violates two-term limits in the constitution and the peace
deal that ended the civil war.
East
African leaders and a top official from continental heavyweight South
Africa met in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam this morning
to discuss the crisis that has already spilled over into a region with a
history of ethnic conflict.
Absent: However, the army is said to have ordered the airport closed and there is no sign of the president
Whereabouts unknown: Nkurunziza was understood to be flying back from Tanzania, where he was meeting with other leaders
Looting: A man holding up a branch runs past a fire burning as people loot a local police station after the reported coup
It was also claimed that a protester was shot dead as police shot into the crowds to disperse the demonstrators.
The
mob believed the man they burned alive to be a member of Imbonerakure, a
youth militia for the ruling CNDD-FDD party, which they claim attacked
them last week.
The group has been accused of widespread human rights abuses in the past.
The
Government denied the claim that the Imbonerakure has orchestrated
attacks on opposition groups and condemned the killing. A presidential
spokesman said the government should take 'strenuous measures' to
prevent them in the future.
More
than 50,000 people have fled to neighbouring states since the current
violence broke out. The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said the crisis was
heading towards a 'worst case scenario' that could see 300,000 people
fleeing, some to other parts of Burundi and others abroad.
That would mean the displacement of about 3 percent of the 10 million-strong population in one of Africa's most crowded nations.
'We
expect the east African heads of state to tell President Nkurunziza
that the constitution of Burundi and the Arusha peace agreement do not
allow him to run for a third term,' Pacifique Nininahazwe, a civil
society activist and protest leader, told Reuters.
A
Reuters witnesses saw hundreds of protesters near the parliament in
Bujumbura and heard at least two gunshots. Police at the scene fired
teargas to disperse them.
In
the centre of the capital, another Reuters witness said police used
water canon and teargas to disperse a group of about 100 women
protesters.
Nkurunziza,
51, who once led a rebel group from the majority Hutu population
against the minority Tutsi-led army in the war, has pointed to a
constitutional court ruling that said his first term did not count as he
was chosen by lawmakers, not voted in.
Protesters say the court was manipulated and Britain and other donors have questioned the court's neutrality.
His
bid and the mounting violence have drawn increasingly strong rebukes
from Western nations and African colleagues. The United States, a major
donor to the national army, said police must stop using 'violent force'
against protesters.
European
states, big supporters of the budget, have withheld some aid, part of
it related to a parliamentary vote scheduled for May 26 a presidential
poll on June 26.
Police
have regularly fired teargas, water cannon and, say protesters, live
rounds at demonstrators, who have hurled stones and barricaded streets
in the capital. The police deny shooting.
Today's
summit host, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, whose country played a
key role in ending Burundi's conflict, has criticised the third-term
bid. In March he said that violating the constitution and Arusha deal
risked violence.
South
African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa lends extra weight, as his
nation was another vital player in the Arusha accords. While in office,
Ramaphosa has helped defuse tensions in Lesotho and sought to broker
peace in South Sudan.
Popular movement: A detained protester cries in front of a burning barricade during a protest earlier today
Toll: It is thought at least 20 people have died and many others have been injured in these protests
Violence: A protester holds a wood with nails in front of a burned barricade earlier today - before the announcement
Also
among those attending will be President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, a nation
with the same ethnic mix as Burundi that suffered a 1994 genocide in
which 800,000 mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered.
Kagame
has often said he would not allow another genocide in the region.
Analysts say his nation could be pulled into any new conflict where
Tutsis are targeted.
About
half the refugees have fled to Rwanda, many of them Tutsis who say they
feel threatened by Imbonerakure, the youth wing of Nkurunziza's ruling
party. The party denies any threats.
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