Burundi failed coup: Nkurunziza reappears in public

Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza has appeared in public in his own country for the first time since a failed coup d’etat last week.

He came back on Friday from Tanzania, where he had been attending a regional summit on the crisis in Burundi.

The coup attempt came after weeks of protests against Mr Nkurunziza’s decision to seek a third term.

On Saturday 18 people appeared in court on charges of helping the coup bid. The alleged ringleader is still on the run.

Mr Nkurunziza spoke briefly to reporters at the presidential palace in the capital Bujumbura but made no mention of the failed coup.

The president said he came to his office to speak on the telephone with the leaders of Kenya and Uganda regarding a specific threat from the Islamist group al-Shabab.

Al-Shabab, which is battling the UN-backed government in Somalia, has carried out a string of attacks in neighbouring Kenya and is allied to al-Qaeda.

The UK Foreign Office and the US state department say al-Shabab has threatened to carry out attacks in Burundi because of its role in the African Union-led peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

The US has advised its citizens to leave the country because of the deteriorating political situation, and had previously warned about the threat from al-Shabab.

Burundian activists have vowed to continue with mass protests against Mr Nkurunziza’s proposal to stand for re-election next month.

BBC