Bujumbura – Burundi’s army chief survived an assassination attempt in the capital, Bujumbura, a military spokesperson said on Friday.
Gunmen attacked the vehicle of General Prime Niyongabo – a supporter of President Pierre Nkurunziza – in the early morning hours, spokesperson Colonel Gaspard Baratuza told dpa.
Niyongabo was unharmed but “his guards were killed, and some of the attackers were killed”, said Baratuza.
The assassination attempt comes three days after the spokesman for one of Burundi’s main opposition parties was killed.
The east African country has been gripped by violence since President Nkurunziza announced in April that he would seek a controversial third term in office.
Street protests claimed about 80 lives, but Nkurunziza won a July 21 election that was boycotted by the opposition.
More than 20 people were killed in violence in Bujumbura after the election, according to civil society groups.
Fatalities have included people who opposed Nkurunziza’s third term, as well as a former army chief and a former intelligence chief. Several opposition leaders have fled the country.
DPA
Source: News24
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