Burundi Wracked by Violence as Coup Effort Falters

The capital of Burundi was engulfed in violence after members of the military who tried to depose the sitting president attack strategically valuable sites.

The Associated Press reports that the coup was triggered by President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision to run for a third term as president despite the fact some say it violates the constitution.

The effort to run for a third term is also said to violate the terms of a peace treaty that ended Burundi's civil war in 2005. His announcement set off popular protests that have lasted the last three weeks and resulted in at least a dozen deaths.

Nkurunziza says he can run for a third term because he was first elected by the parliament, rather than a popular vote.

As Nkrunziza attended a meeting in Tanzania, Maj. Gen. Godefroid Niyombare declared that he was seizing power. Troops loyal to both Nkurunziza and Niyombare began to fight for control of the state media headquarters. At least one soldier supporting the coup efforts was killed in the fighting.

In addition to fighting over the state broadcaster, the private broadcaster that broadcast Niyombare's coup announcement suffered a grenade attack.

After Niyombare announced the coup, the police disappeared from the streets and protesters greeted tanks and armored vehicles under his control with glee. After Nkurunziza returned to Burundi however, the police reappeared. Nkurunziza still retains the support of the army's highest ranking officer, Maj. Gen. Prime Niyangabo. His support will be critical if Nkurunziza hopes to hold onto power.

The African Union, United Nations, and United States have urged all the parties involved to sit down and try to reach some sort of agreement through negotiation.