Atiku Identifies Impunity As Bane Of Burundi Violence, As Police Open Fire On Crowd

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News Wednesday, May 13th, 2015

By Niyi Adeyi with Agency Report – Former Nigerian Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has identified reckless penchant for power and lack of respect for laws as key factors that prompted the ongoing weeks of political violence in Burundi.

Atiku’s comments Wednesday morning coincided with the Police attack in Bujumbura, the Burundian capital, where they opened fire on a huge crowd, protesting against the re-election bid of the incumbent President Pierre Nkurunziza in June General Elections.

In Wednesday’s attack, Police used tear gas and live ammunition on hundreds of protesters in the centre of Bujumbura, which is the closest extent achieved to the Presidency so far. President Nkurunziza is running for the number one position of the central African country for the third time, but the ambition is being rebuffed by the citizens.

Abubakar in a post on his Facebook account Wednesday, asserted “The violent crisis in #Burundi, fuelled by the decision of President Pierre Nkurunziza to stand for a 3rd term, is unfortunate and condemnable”.

He held further that democracy must be guided by the rule of law, and will of citizens must be respected, adding “One man’s ambition should never be allowed to cause chaos”.

In the meantime, President Nkurunziza is leaving for Tanzania to attend a summit, which will feature talks with the other Eastern African leaders, on how to end the escalation.

In the same vein, a Burundian very influential Catholic Church has called for the postponement of the elections.

The Church’s call was made in a statement it sent to the country’s Electoral Commission. It requested the body to extend the date, if the sitting Government declined the popular demand.

Over 20 people have been killed so far while many wounded, after President Nkurunziza declared last month, his ambition to seek re-election for third term in the coming polls.

Despite Burundi’s constitution aversion to third term, President Nkurunziza has maintained that he is entitled to re-contest into the highest office of the country, just as he claimed he was first appointed to the position by parliament in 2005.