BUJUMBURA: One of Burundi’s vice-presidents has fled to Belgium, saying he had been threatened after denouncing President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term in office, an allegation denied by Burundi’s government.

Opponents say the president’s move is unconstitutional. The political struggle has ignited bloody unrest and Burundi’s worst crisis since an ethnically charged civil war ended in 2005.

“I took the decision to leave the country because I was personally threatened,” Gervais Rufyikiri, who had held the post of second vice president, told France 24 television from Belgium on Wednesday.

“All who are against the third term are threatened. I personally was fearing for my security since I saw some signals.”

A presidential spokesman said there had been no threat to Rufyikiri. In May, the vice-president of Burundi’s election commission and a senior judge fled the country, amid protests demanding Nkurunziza stand down. Tens of thousands of ordinary people have also gone to neighbouring states to escape the unrest. The president has refused to change tack, citing a court ruling that found he was allowed to seek another term.

Three grenade attacks in the capital today injured several people. Police said they were investigating. Similar attacks in the past week have killed four people and injured dozens in Bujumbura and other towns.

Protests against the president erupted on April 26, a day after he announced his bid. For weeks, stone-throwing demonstrators clashed with police, who sometimes shot at them. Rallies have since petered out but the mood remains tense.

The United Nations, African states and Western nations have called for dialogue to ease the crisis in a region with a history of ethnic conflict. Talks between rival camps so far have shown little sign of bridging differences.

Both the presidential vote, now scheduled for July 15, and a parliamentary election now due on June 29 have been delayed by several weeks due to unrest.

Students seek refuge in US embassy

BUJUMBURA: Around 200 students broke into the US embassy in Burundi on Thursday seeking refuge after police threatened to break up their camp outside the compound, AFP witnesses said.

Armed US marines watched from the embassy roof as students climbed under the gate and over the wall after abandoning their camp, established outside the embassy complex since violent protests began in late April.

The students surged into the embassy compound and began a peaceful sit-in with their hands raised in the air following a police ultimatum demanding they leave their informal camp.

The students moved from their university campus to outside the US embassy soon after demonstrations began nearly two months ago, believing proximity to the US mission would offer greater safety. — AFP