{Burundi opposition party leaders have vowed to boycott the June presidential election if the incumbent leader Pierre Nkurunziza does not withdraw from the contest.}
“Nkurunziza would not have been the president of Burundi without the Arusha Accord,” said main opposition leader Agathon Rwasa.
The accord, that ended Burundi’s long-running civil war in 2006, fixed the presidential term limit at maximum two.
We will not submit our applications to the electoral commission, since that would amount to helping President Nkurunziza undermine the Arusha Agreement, said another prospective contender Jean Minani of the FRODEBU Nyakuri.
“We insist President Nkurunziza should opt out, said Mr Rwasa.
“The Arusha Accord and the constitution helped us bring peace to the country.”
The chairman of the independent electoral commission, Mr Pierre Claver Ndayicariye, has instructed all the presidential candidates to submit their credentials by May 9.
The applications for the the presidential hopefuls opened on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the anti-Nkurunziza third term protests continued for the fifth day Thursday with the President showing no signs of changing his mind.
President Nkurunziza was Saturday nominated by the ruling CNDD-FDD as the party’s flagbearer, prompting a wave of angry protests.
The UN Secretary-General Special Envoy for the Great Lakes and the African Union delegates were in Burundi to meet President Nkurunziza on the ongoing crisis.
A pistol
According to the Red Cross, six people were killed on Sunday after in the clashes between the protestors and the police.
The army too has been called in to jointly work with the police.
“We have taken a decision to jointly work with the police to make sure protestors and citizens are protected. We don’t want to see our country going back to those days of 12 years ago,” said the army chief during a press conference on Tuesday.
A car was Thursday morning set on fire by protestors claiming that it belonged to a member of the Imbonerakure militia.
The protestors claimed the car owner was found in possession of a pistol.
A grenade also exploded at a bus park in the centre of Bujumbura. However, no casualties were reported.
Police have fired live bullets and arrested several people in the crackdown against the protests.
The Red Cross reported at least 37 people injured while the Burundi civil society organisations said more than 400 people have been arrested since the protests began.
The media too have borne the brunt of the unrest with one major radio station, RPA, being closed after being accused of threatening the country’s security by its live reporting of the unfolding
{{Africa Review}}
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