Military Attempts Coup in Burundi

Unrest broke out in Burundi’s capital city of Bujumbura on Wednesday after a military general, Maj. Gen. Godefroid Niyombare, declared a coup against President Pierre Nkurunziza, whom Niyombare claims violated the constitution by seeking a third term of office. Niyombare made his declaration over the radio, siding with protesters who also oppose Nkurunziza’s attempt to remain in office. The president, currently in Tanzania at a conference, acknowledged the coup attempt but claimed in a statement that it had been “foiled”—though the BBC reports that there is still unrest in the capital and “gunfire as protesters escorted by the army head to the city center.”