Voting in Burundi’s controversial elections opened on Monday despite a string of grenade attacks on polling stations, the latest in weeks of violence sparked by the president’s defiant bid for a third term.
Assailants threw grenades in both the capital Bujumbura and at some provincial voting centres ahead of Monday’s parliamentary and local elections, delaying the start of voting in many areas, police and election officials said.
Another grenade exploded in the capital shortly after voting began. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for the elections to be delayed after the opposition said they would not take part, as Burundi faces its worst crisis since its civil war ended nine years ago. “Armed groups tried to attack polling centres... They were shooting and threw grenades, but the police stopped them,” deputy police chief Godefroid Bizimana said.
Police patrolled the streets of Bujumbura, especially in opposition areas where the worst violence was seen during weeks of protests. In those areas, few civilians were seen at polling stations.