Burundi’s Opposition Party Spokesman Assassinated: Bujumbura

Event:

Monday 7^th September, a spokesman of a Burundi political party was shot dead by unidentified gunmen near his home in Bujumbura, Burundi’s capital.

The deceased was the spokesman of the Union for Peace and Development that belongs to the opposition coalition against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s third term in office.

Summary:

Union for Peace and Development’s spokesman, Patrice Gahungu, in Burundi was on late Monday 7^th September shot dead by unknown gunmen near his home in Burundi’s capital, Bujumbura.

Union for Peace and Development is a political party belonging to the opposition coalition that is against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s third term in office.

The killing of Gahungu is in a continued of a streak of killings targeted at the opposition party leaders and other significant opposition personalities in Burundi. Spokesman of the opposition coalition, Jeremie Minani echoed the sentiments siting that the leader of Union for Peace and Development, Zedi Feruzi was also shot dead in a similar drive-by shooting in may this year.

The increased number of killings of leaders in Burundi especially those in the opposition and forcing others into political asylum could trigger a war between the government and the opposition in a healing nation going by previous threats of revenge from the opposition.

Burundi’s volatile crisis isn’t only at the verge of going full-blown but also affecting the entire conflict-prone Great Lake region destroying the peace and stability of among the world’s poorest countries.