Burundi opposition spokesman killed

The spokesman for a party in Burundi opposed to President Pierre Nkurunziza’s third term has been shot dead in the capital, Bujumbura.

Patrice Gahungu, from the Union for Peace and Development (UPD), was targeted by unidentified gunmen as he drove home late on Monday, police say.

The leader of the same small opposition party, Zedi Feruzi, was killed in May.

President Nkurunziza was sworn in for a controversial third term last month following several months of unrest.

The government accuses the opposition, which says the third term is illegal, of causing the violence.

At least 100 people have died in protests since Mr Nkurunziza announced his decision in April to seek another term in office in elections that took place in July.

The BBC’s Prime Ndikumagenge in Bujumbura says two other people were killed on Monday in the capital but the police are still gathering details on their identities.

The UPD was part of a coalition of opposition parties that was opposed to Mr Nkurunziza running for a third term.

It boycotted the parliamentary elections and did not put forward a candidate for the presidential poll which Mr Nkurunziza won with 70% of the vote. Political tensions there have forced tens of thousands people to flee the country this year. BBC