BUJUMBURA: Burundian troops loyal to the president fought off soldiers backing a top general on Thursday a day after he launched a coup against the central African nation’s leader Pierre Nkurunziza.

Rival factions fought intense battles around the state television and radio complex, with broadcasts to the nation halted for some time, but resuming after a fierce attack by coup troops was repulsed.

The crisis has raised fears of a return to widespread violence in the impoverished country, which is still recovering from a 13-year civil war that ended in 2006 and left hundreds of thousands dead.

Also read: Burundi general claims overthrowing president

The coup attempt has triggered international condemnation and the United States insisted Nkurunziza remained the legitimate president.

“There are competing claims to authority, but we recognise President Nkurunziza as the legitimate president,” State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke told reporters.

The UN Security Council, in emergency talks on the crisis on Thursday, condemned the coup attempt and called for a swift return to the rule of law in the impoverished country.

UN envoy Said Djinnit briefed the council, saying it was “still unclear” whether the coup attempt would succeed, a diplomat said.

Nkurunziza was in neighbouring Tanzania when the coup was launched and is believed to remain in Dar es Salaam, according to Tanzanian sources, but he has not been seen since fighting began.

Reporters said the crackle of automatic weapons fire and the thump of explosions could be heard throughout the night on Wednesday, and intensified around dawn on Thursday.

In the afternoon, after state radio broadcast a message from Nkurunziza, a major attack was launched by pro-coup troops, which was fought off, with station director Jerome Nzokirantevye saying it was “loyalist soldiers who are in control”.

For much of the day the streets were largely deserted by civilians as sporadic clashes could be heard in other parts of the city, while plumes of smoke were seen on the city skyline.

The bodies of three soldiers were seen by a journalist lying in the street. Both sides claimed to control the streets.

Burundi’s armed forces chief, a supporter of the president, had used national radio to declare that the coup, launched by former intelligence chief Godefroid Niyombare, had failed.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2015

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