Violence kills 70, injures 500 in Burundi: Rights body

 

“We have identified 70 people killed, mostly by bullets but also grenades… the majority are civilians, as well as police and soldiers,” said Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa, who heads Burundi’s influential rights group Aprodeh.

Mbonimpa said that around 500 people were also wounded, with 50 of them remaining in hospitals, adding that security forces in Burundi have jailed more than 1,000 protesters since late April.

Street protests began in Burundi after President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his controversial bid for a third consecutive five-year term in office.

Nkurunziza’s decision triggered violent clashes on the streets of the capital, Bujumbura, and elsewhere in the country, with opponents branding the move as unconstitutional and a violation of a 2006 peace deal that ended 13 years of civil war.

A pro-government militia known as Imbonerakure has reportedly committed numerous acts of violence, killing dozens of people during street confrontations.

Earlier this month, the UN warned about reports of such government-sponsored violence in Burundi, saying the purported coercive methods used by the militia group threaten the country’s stability.

SS

Source Article from http://english.irib.ir/news/world/africa/item/211437-violence-kills-70,-injures-500-in-burundi-rights-body

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