World
20:03, 12-May-2018
Minister: Gunmen kill 26, injure 7 in northwestern Burundi
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At least 26 persons were killed and seven others injured on Friday night in a gunmen attack in northwestern Burundi, the Burundian security minister said Saturday.
The attack took place at a village in the province of Cibitoke, near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), said Alain Guillaume Bunyoni, Minister of Public Security and Disaster Management.
"The terrorists coming from and returning to Congo shot and burned: 26 dead and seven wounded," the minister said in a statement, blaming "terrorists" attackers from neighboring DRC.
The attack came as tensions rise days ahead of a constitutional referendum on May 17, which could allow President Pierre Nkurunziza to stay in power for 16 more years until 2034.
The government also has in recent weeks deployed soldiers to border areas after accusing exiled opposition groups of seeking to disrupt the vote.
(Head image via Reuters: Riot policemen try to disperse protesters during demonstrations against the ruling party's decision to allow Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza to run for a third five-year term in office.)
Source(s): AFP
,Xinhua News Agency