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Thursday, 25 June 2015

Burundi Vice-President, Gervais Rufyikiri Flees

One of Burundi's vice  presidents has fled to Belgium, saying he had been threatened  after denouncing President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third  term in office, an allegation denied by Burundi's government.
Opponents say the president's move is unconstitutional. The  political struggle has ignited bloody unrest and Burundi's worst  crisis since an ethnically charged civil war ended in 2005.
"I took the decision to leave the country because I was  personally threatened," Gervais Rufyikiri, who had held the post  of second vice president, told France 24 television from Belgium  on Wednesday.
"All who are against the third term are threatened. I  personally was fearing for my security since I saw some  signals."
A presidential spokesman said there had been no threat to  Rufyikiri.
In May, the vice president of Burundi's election commission  and a senior judge fled the country, amid protests demanding  Nkurunziza stand down. Tens of thousands of ordinary people have  also gone to neighboring states to escape the unrest.

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