People burn mattresses looted from the local police post in Musaga neighbourhood in Bujumbura during a protest against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
Confusion reigned for the better part of yesterday, fuelling speculation on Mr Pierre Nkurunziza’s secret location after Wednesday’s attempted coup
Foreign Affairs minister says he does not know where the embattled Burundian president is
Dar es Salaam / Bujumbura. The whereabouts of the embattled Burundi President, Mr Pierre Nkurunziza, remained a mystery yesterday amid reports that he was in still Dar es Salaam.
Confusion reigned for the better part of yesterday, fuelling speculation on the beleaguered leader’s secret location after Wednesday’s attempted coup. Tanzanian officials remained tight-lipped on the unfolding events in Burundi.
Mr Nkurunziza, who was in Tanzania to attend the extraordinary summit of the East African Community (EAC) to discuss the political impasse in his country, has been unable to return home. He was blocked by his opponents, who seized the airport and ordered the borders closed following an attempted coup by his former spy chief.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Bernard Membe told reporters here that he did not know where Mr Nkurunziza was—and this despite reports in the local and international media that he was still in Dar es Salaam. “I don’t know where he is,” Mr Membe insisted.
He didn’t budge despite the pressure and maintained that he would not comment or give any briefing on the Burundi crisis until next week, when the EAC Council of Ministers meets to assess the situation in that country.
The minister asked East Africans to remain calm and await the outcome of the meeting scheduled for next week. The situation in Burundi is tense, he added, and any comments from any quarters might cost lives.
In the meantime, media reports indicated there has been heavy gunfire and shelling in Bujumbura, the capital, between opposition troops and soldiers loyal to President Nkurunziza.
The fiercest battles were reported near the national radio and television stations, which were still in the hands of loyalist troops as we went to press. Soldiers loyal to Mr Nkurunziza were said to have seized control of the national airport northwest of the capital, but the situation remained tense.
Burundi’s influential independent African Public Radio (RPA) station also came under attack. The station was hit by a rocket and set ablaze by pro-Nkurunziza police and ruling party youth, according to media boss and rights activist Innocent Muhozi.
The embattled president, whose whereabouts remain unclear, spoke to the nation on national radio via a telephone interview and said his forces were in control of the country.
There were unconfirmed reports that Mr Nkurunziza may have moved to Kigoma overnight, presumably intending to cross into Burundi through the border with Tanzania. His Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Kavakure said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that the “ousted” President would be returning home later yesterday but did not disclose how he would get back to his crisis-torn country.
Mr Kavakure spoke at the Serena Hotel. Mr Nkurunziza was also at the same hotel on Wednesday after failing to fly back to Bujumbura, where a coup had been declared.
Burundi’s Minister for East African Community (EAC) Affairs, Ms Leontine Nzeyimana—who was also accommodated at the Serena Hotel—told The Citizen a few hours before she left for Arusha that the President was still in the country but was expected to leave for home yesterday. She also did not disclose the means of transport to be used.
Tanzania’s minister for East African Cooperation, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, told journalists at the Hyatt Kilimanjaro Hotel in Dar es Salaam yesterday that he was not aware of the presence of the embattled president. He told reporters on the sidelines of the EAC Media Summit: “I can’t discuss anything about the Burundi crisis. This matter does not fall under my docket but that of the Foreign Affairs ministry.”
Mr Nkurunziza returned to Dar es Salaam on Wednesday evening and was whisked off to the Serena Hotel after the aborted flight to Burundi. The hotel was under a heavy security cordon then but there were no security officials yesterday at the hotel save for those employed by the hotel. As the situation remained tense in Burundi, EAC Heads of State condemned the ouster and called for respect for the country’s constitution.
