BUJUMBURA
Protests resumed Monday in Burundian capital Bujumbura against President Pierre Nkurinziza's bid for a third term in office, with the army firing shots in the air to prevent protesters from advancing.
Dozens of protesters from the capital's districts of Nyakabiga, Cibitoke and Mutakura Musaga began assembling with the aim of marching towards the center of Bujumbura, a protester, who requested anonymity, to Anadolu Agency.
The protester said that army troops "fired shot in the air to prevent demonstrations from advancing".
Information on possible casualties is not yet available.
On Sunday, Pacific Nininahazwe, a Burundian human rights activist who is spearheading a campaign against a third term for Nkurinziza, called on Twitter for the "resumption of peaceful demonstrations on Monday".
Burundi has been rocked by protests since late April, when the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy named Nkurunziza – in power since 2005 – its candidate for June presidential polls.
Dozens have been killed in protests and clashes since the protests broke out since Nkurunziza announced plans to seek a third term in office.
The country's opposition says Nkurunziza does not have the right to seek a third term, citing Burundi's constitution, which limits the number of terms a president can serve to two.
However, Burundi's Constitutional Court has ruled that Nkurunziza's third-term bid would not violate the constitution.
The court ruled that, since he was elected in 2005 by parliament and not by the people, Nkurunziza's first stint in office should not be counted as his first presidential term.
