Reuters, 23/11 16:53 CET
By Goran Tomasevic
BUJUMBURA (Reuters) – As
darkness falls, vigilantes armed with automatic rifles emerge to patrol
the streets of Bujumbura, a city plagued by killings and violence as
Burundi’s crisis deepens.
For months, the trill of cicadas in the tropical night
has been interrupted by sporadic gunfire and explosions across the
capital, centre of the turmoil sparked by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s
bid for a third term in office.
Thousands initially protested against the president and
opposed his re-election in a disputed July vote. Now some have formed
vigilante units, coming out at night in tracksuits and jeans, clutching
AK-47 rifles as they patrol.
“If the police shoot at us, then, yes, we will fight
back,” the leader of one group, giving his name only as Fred, told this
Reuters photographer, who followed his unit last week. “All hotspot
neighbourhoods are protecting themselves in this manner.”
Residents and vigilantes in other districts confirmed this.
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Source: Euronews
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