Burundi Opposition Leader Is Killed

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/24/world/africa/burundi-opposition-leader-is-killed.html

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BUJUMBURA, Burundi — Gunmen killed an opposition figure and his bodyguard here in the capital on Saturday, an activist and residents said, adding to tensions after a month of protests against the president’s bid for a third term.

Zedi Feruzi, the leader of the opposition Union for Peace and Development-Zigamibanga, and his bodyguard were killed in Bujumbura’s Ngagara district, said Anshere Nikoyagize, the leader of the civil society group Ligue Iteka. Residents said he was killed near his home.

Mr. Feruzi and other opponents of President Pierre Nkurunziza’s plan to run again have said that it is unconstitutional.

The president has pointed to a constitutional court ruling that said he could run again because he was appointed to his first term by Parliament and not elected in a popular vote.

Mr. Feruzi, a member of Burundi’s relatively small Muslim community, was a well-known figure, although his party was not among the nation’s biggest.