{Burundi’s embattled President Pierre Nkurunziza sacked his defense and foreign ministers on Monday, five days after surviving an attempted coup by generals opposed to his bid for a third term in office.
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In a decree seen by Reuters, Nkurunziza declined to give any reasons for the dismissals. “President does not have to explain,” one of his spokesmen said in a follow-up text message. “Constitution gives him powers to (do) so.”
The sackings are the first signs of ructions inside Nkurunziza’s administration after the attempted coup, which intensified fears a political crisis may be spiraling out of control and pitching Africa’s Great Lakes region towards another bout of ethnic conflict.
Some 300,000 people died in a Burundian civil war that ended in 2005.
So far, however, there are no signs of supporters and opponents of Nkurunziza being divided along ethnic lines.
The constitution and a peace deal that ended the civil war both specify a two-term presidential limit. Nkurunziza is seeking a third term, relying on a court ruling that his first term does not count because he was appointed by parliament, not elected in a popular vote.
Although surviving the coup may have strengthened his position in the short term, the appointment of his main spokesman’s brother as foreign minister suggests Nkurunziza may be running out of confidantes.
{{Source: Reuters}}
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