Armed Vigilantes in Burundi’s Capital Expose Deepening Crisis

 
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