Assailants Target Police in Burundi

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/21/world/africa/assailants-target-police-in-burundi.html

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BUJUMBURA, Burundi — Eleven police officers were wounded overnight when gunmen hurled grenades and attacked police stations across Burundi’s capital, police officials said Saturday.

Tensions remain high in the country ahead of parliamentary elections on June 29 and a presidential election on July 15.

Gunfire and explosions could be heard overnight across the capital, Bujumbura, and continued for several hours, witnesses said.

No one has been arrested, but investigators are looking into the attacks on police stations in the Jabe, Cibitoke, Bwiza and Kanyosha districts, said Pierre Nkurikiye, a police spokesman.

About 70 people have died in Burundi since April when clashes erupted between security forces and opposition activists who have been protesting against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term, a human rights group said on Friday. The government says the death toll is much lower.