Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


                 Burundi Situation Uncertain, UN Calls for Calm

   by VOA News

    United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on Burundi to
   exercise calm and restraint, after a coup attempt took place Wednesday
   while the president was out of the country.

   Ban said late Wednesday that Burundi's leaders need to preserve peace
   and stability, reminding them that the nation has suffered "grievously"
   from violence in the recent past.

   With the country in an uproar over his decision to run for a third term
   in office, President Pierre Nkurunziza was in Tanzania Wednesday for an
   emergency summit of the East African Community. The meeting was aimed
   at preventing a descent into a repeat of the 13-year civil war that
   killed some 300,000 Burundians before its end in 2006.

   Members of the U.N. Security Council will hold emergency consultations
   on the crisis later Thursday, with a video briefing from a U.N. envoy
   in the region.

   Meanwhile, the French news agency is quoting armed forces chief General
   Prime Niyongabo saying the coup has failed -- but supporters of the
   coup are disputing that statement.

   Niyongabo made a radio announcement late Wednesday saying the attempted
   coup by renegade General Godefroid Niyombare has been stopped. He said
   the national defense force is calling on the "mutineers" to give
   themselves up.

   Niyiombare announced his coup earlier Wednesday via radio announcement.
   He told private Burundian radio stations the president had been ousted,
   and said he would form a committee to "restore national harmony and
   unity."

   Burundi's Interior Minister Edourd Nduwimana has told VOA's Central
   African Service that forces loyal to President Pierre Nkurunziza remain
   in control of the presidential palace, state radio and television, and
   the main airport in the capital, Bujumbura.

   He said the president is back in Burundi, although he did not specify
   Nkurunziza's location.

   The five-nation East African Community -- the meeting the president was
   attending -- condemned the coup attempt.

   The White House has called for an immediate end to the violence and for
   all sides to lay down arms. Spokesman Josh Earnest also voiced support
   for the ongoing efforts of regional leaders to restore peace and unity
   in the country.

   VOA's Gabe Joselow, who is in Burundi's capital, reported that tens of
   thousands of Burundians, including soldiers, celebrated in the streets
   after the general's announcement.

   But Joselow also reported hearing gunfire throughout the day, some of
   it coming from near the national broadcast center, which was surrounded
   by soldiers loyal to the president.

   Burundi has been rocked by protests since April 26, when President
   Nkurunziza announced he will run for a controversial third term.
   Clashes between police and protesters have killed at least 14 people
   and injured more than 200.

   Joselow reports there were more clashes between police and protesters
   Wednesday before the coup attempt. Video showed protesters throwing
   stones at police, who responded with live rounds, tear gas and water
   cannon.

   Critics of Nkurunziza say a third term would be unconstitutional, while
   the president and his supporters insist it is legal because he was
   chosen by lawmakers, not a general election, for his first five-year
   term in 2005.  Burundi's constitutional court has ruled in the
   president's favor.

   The officer at the head of Wednesday's coup attempt, General Niyombare,
   is a respected figure who was fired from his position as Burundi's
   intelligence chief in February.  Earlier in his career, he also served
   as Burundi's ambassador to Kenya.

   Belgian law professor Filip Reyntjens, an expert on Africa's Great
   Lakes region, tells VOA that Niyombare, in his role as security chief,
   warned the president in a lengthy memorandum earlier this year not to
   seek a third term.

   The chair of the African Union condemned the coup attempt in Bujumbura
   and called for the return of constitutional order.  Nkosazana Dlamini
   Zuma also warned that further violence will likely lead to "further
   loss of lives, population displacement and destruction of property."
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/burundi-situation-uncertain-un-calls-
   for-calm/2767026.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/burundi-situation-uncertain-un-calls-for-calm/2767026.html