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Police kill 1, injure 3 in protests against president's third term in Burundi

Xinhua, May 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

Police agents Wednesday beat a demonstrator to death and injured three others in clashes that happened at Matana in the Burundian southern province of Bururi during protests against the third term bid of Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza.

A witness told Xinhua that the clashes occurred when police agents intercepted and dispersed, with the use of live ammunition, hundreds of demonstrators who were heading to Matana town.

According to the witness, three protesters were injured, one of them seriously. They said that the three injured protesters and another protester were captured and taken to Matana police custody.

"Later, the four persons were taken to hospital, but the protester who did not have any injuries on his body died before reaching the hospital. Police agents beat him to death," said the witness.

Another demonstrator was shot dead by policemen earlier this week in the neighboring commune of Mugamba in the same province of Bururi.

According to the civil society, at least 30 persons have died during protests against the third term bid of Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza that started on April 26 mainly in the capital Bujumbura and expanded sporadically to the provinces of Bujumbura Rural, Mwaro and Bururi.

Organizers of the protests including the opposition and the civil society consider that Nkurunziza's third term bid is a "violation" of the Burundian constitution and the 2000 Arusha Agreement that limit president term to two of five years.

Nkurunziza's supporters say he has the right to run another term in office in a presidential election due on June 26, arguing that the 2005-2010 term should not be counted because in 2005, he was elected by the parliament and not in a universal suffrage. Endi