Gunmen ambush army officer in Burundi's Kirundo province, kill his guard

Unidentified gunmen Wednesday night ambushed the deputy-commander of Mutwenzi military barrack near Kirundo town, 200 km north of the Burundian capital Bujumbura, killing his guard, Burundi-based Radio Isanganiro reported Thursday.

According to the local private radio, the ambush happened at about 22:00 (20:00 GMT) when the army officer was walking from Kirundo town to Mutwenzi military barrack - a distance of three kilometers.

The radio reported that Major Venuste Nkurikiye was unharmed, but his security guard was killed on the spot when the gunmen opened fire.

The radio also indicated that a policeman was injured when the gunmen blasted a grenade while running away after the ambush.

The Burundian army confirmed the attack, but said it will give details when a mission sent to Kirundo province is back.

Attacks against military and police agents have increased during the last two weeks in Burundi while security had started to return to normalcy.

Burundi is facing a political turmoil that broke out since April 2015 following the announcement by Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza that he would be seeking a third term.

His candidature, which was opposed by the opposition and civil society groups, resulted into a wave of protests, violence and even a failed coup on May 13, 2015.

Over 400 persons are reported to have been killed since then while some 240,000 citizens sought exile in neighboring countries. Endit