Burundi rivals battle for control of capital after coup attempt

Violence flares across Bujumbura a day after former intelligence chief attempts to oust President Pierre Nkurunziza

Anti-government protesters in Bujumbura on Thursday. Photograph: Goran Tomasevic/Reuters

A protester is detained near a burning barricade. Photograph: Reuters--protester prepares a petrol bomb in Bujumbura. Photograph: Reuters

Abigail Higgins in Bujumbura and David SmithAfrica correspondent0-

Thursday 14 May 2015

Rival military groups have been battling for control of the Burundi capital, a day after a former intelligence chief staged an attempted coup against President Pierre Nkurunziza.

Heavy gunfire rang out from the direction of the ruling CNDD-FDD party headquarters in Bujumbura, which witnesses said were being guarded by police. It was difficult to determine who was in control of the capital, with periods of relative calm broken by bouts of gunfire in the evening.

Burundi Rivals Battle for Control of Capital After Coup Attempt by Thavam Ratna