6 Killed as Burundi Army Chief Targeted in Attempted Slaying
BUJUMBURA,
Burundi — Burundi's army chief survived an apparent assassination
attempt Friday by gunmen who attacked a convoy escorting him in the
nation's volatile capital, witnesses and an official said. The military
said six people were killed in the attack.
Gunmen
wearing military fatigues and riding a pickup truck fired on Maj. Gen.
Prime Niyongabo's convoy as it drove in Bujumbura's Kinindo neighborhood
early Friday, said Anicet Nkunzimana, a witness who lives in the
neighborhood. She said there was exchange of gunfire and explosions.
Military
spokesman Col. Gaspard Baratuza told reporters in Bujumbura that three
soldiers, one civilian and two of the attackers were killed in the
incident. Niyongabo was not injured and is now back at work in his
office, he said, without elaborating.
Witness
Hamissi Misigaro said the vehicle used in the attack was later
retrieved from the anti-government stronghold of Musaga. Four men were
arrested there following a search operation by security forces, he said.
Niyongabo
is believed to have helped foil an attempted coup in May against
President Pierre Nkurunziza, who faced deadly street protests over his
bid for a third term. Nkurunziza won re-election in July in a vote
widely seen as not credible and violence persists in Bujumbura.
In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the United States condemns the attack on Niyongabo.
"Burundi
must step back from the path of violence. The only credible root to
stability is a regionally mediated and inclusive dialogue that leads to
consensus on a peaceful way forward," Kirby said in a statement.
In
August, a top military general who once led the intelligence services,
Adolphe Nshimirimana, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Bujumbura,
sparking concerns of revenge killings between regime loyalists and
opponents.
On Monday, opposition spokesman Patrice Gahungu was killed by gunmen outside his home in Bujumbura.
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