Burundi political crisis escalates as protesters burn vehicles

Opposition protesters in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, set fire to a public service vehicle on Friday (5 June), as protests against the country's president continue.

The decision by Pierre Nkurunziza to seek a third term in office has plunged the nation into its worst crisis since an ethnically charged civil war ended in 2005. The protesters say his move violates the constitution, which sets a two-term limit.

Local and parliamentary elections were due to be held on Friday ahead of a presidential vote on 26 June, but Burundi's electoral body announced on Wednesday they have been postponed in response to an appeal from African leaders. They made no mention of the presidential elections.

Opposition demonstrations insist though they will continue their protests until Nkurunziza agrees not to run for office again. But for residents of Bujumbura the near-daily demonstrations and unrest are taking their toll.

Nkurunziza has previously defended his decision to run again by citing a constitutional court ruling saying he can do so, but the government has also said it is open to the idea of postponing the poll schedule.

The violence in Burundi has unnerved a region with a history of ethnic conflict.

Burundi has the same ethnic mix of majority Hutus and a Tutsi minority as Rwanda, where a 1994 genocide killed 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus.