The African Union (AU) has condemned the coup attempt in Burundi that brought the former military intelligence officer, Major General Godefroid Niyombare to power, even as the United States of America made it clear that it would not support any form of military intervention in any country.
While AU in a statement by its Peace and Security Council today, called for dialogue to resolve the country’s political crisis, the US insisted that it still recognized Pierre Nkurunziza as the president of Burundi,
AU said that the council was meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to discuss attempts to oust Burundian President, Pierre Nkurunziza, whose quest for a third term has thrown the central African country into disarray.
There had been intensive fighting between forces loyal to President Pierre Nkurunziza and forces in support of the coup plot.
Although there had been an easy calm in Bujumbura, the capital city, reports said that majority of the Burundians celebrated at the announcement of the military takeover, a sign that Nkurunziza who has insisted on running for the third term is no longer wanted by his own people.
General Godefroid Niyombare, had on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, announced the overthrow of President Pierre Nkurunziza.
The general cited weeks of violent protests against the president’s bid to stand for a third term as reason for the overthrow.
However, President Nkurunziza who was attending a summit in Tanzania to discuss his decision to run for a third term, said that the attempted coup had “failed, in a message posted on Twitter.
Gen. Niyombareh had earlier told reporters that senior officers were “dismissing” President Nkurunziza, amid unrest over his re-election bid and that a national salvation committee had been set up to run the country.
General Niyombare, a powerful former intelligence chief, announced the coup attempt hours after the president left for neighbouring Tanzania for talks with regional leaders on ending the crisis.
A State Department spokesman of the United States of America, Jeff Rathke said today: “There are competing claims to authority, but we recognize President Nkurunziza as the legitimate president,”
[myad]
