Protests and Demonstrations hit Burundi over President’s Unconstitutional Third Term Bid

Burundian opposed to the third term ambition of President Pierre Nkurunzisa have been trooping out in  their thousands since Sunday morning to express their displeasure and opposition to the recent CNDD-FDD unconstitutional nomination of the president for another term of four years. Nkurunsiza, the former rebel leader has been accused of intimidating the opposition seems dead set on the term ambition.

Though they were teargased and physically abused by Burundian police and army personnel , major opposition stronghold across Burundi most especially Bujumbura had witnessed three (3) days of demonstrations by the anti-third term groups undeterred by the nationwide ban on demonstrations and threats of violent clampdown  by the government. 

Opposition figures last week cautioned that Nkurunsiza effort to cling to power could push the Central African nation back into violence and vowed to defy a nationwide ban on demonstrations. According to Agathon Rwasa, an ex-rebel turned politician and staunch opponent of Nkurunsiza anti-third term groups will start to demonstrate from Sunday morning peacefully without breaking anything. 

The born again-Christian and football enthusiast who has served two terms as president was last Saturday officially nominated by his party, CNDD-FDD at a special congress under tight security as its candidate for June 26, 2015 presidential election in the country.  

The opposition said Nkurunsiza’s third term bid is clearly a violation of the constitution and peace accord that ends the civil war twelve (12) years ago in the country. An opposition leader and rights activist, Pierre-Clever Mbonimpa said: The third term candidacy is illegal, it violates the constitution and Arusha peace agreement.

As a result of the civil unrest, six (6) people have been reportedly killed as at Tuesday, many injured as police and army crackdown on demonstrators. Thousands had reportedly fled the country and many will still leave if something concrete is not done to arrest the situation and stem the tide of civil-disobediences in another country of the troubled Great Lake Region by the international community. African Union (AU) and the Western World should rise up to the fledging Burundi challenge.