Photograph — Newsweek

A pleasant morning routine for Burundian Brigadier General Athanase Kararuza and his family turned into a tragic incident in the capital city of Bujumbara when they were ambushed and killed by unidentified gunmen. Kararuza, who was recently appointed as a Senior Adviser of Security to Burundi’s Vice President, and his wife were dropping off their daughter at school with plans to head to work after. He and his wife died at the scene while their daughter managed to escape with injuries. One of Kararuza’s bodyguards was also shot.

The attack on Kararuza is reportedly an escalation of the conflict that is gradually enveloping Burundi due to the refusal of President Pierre Nkurunziza to vacate his office. In April last year, Nkurunziza sparked controversy when he announced his intentions to run for a third term as president. His bid was severely criticised by political opponents and human rights groups who opined that it was unconstitutional, thereby making Nkurunziza a dictator.

When Nkurunziza ended up resuming office for the third time despite concerns and oppositions which led to the death of several protesters, Burundi seemed poised for yet another period of conflicts, and about 270,000 Burundi nationals fled the country to avoid the imminent danger. The ghastly memories of the civil war in Burundi, which ended in 2005 and saw about 300,000 people killed, are still fresh in the minds of the people. Since April 2015, more than 400 Burundians have lost their lives to the ‘Nkurunziza conflict’ in which high-ranking army officials have come under attack more frequently, according to the United Nations.

Last Wednesday, a Burundian colonel, Emmanuel Buzubona, was killed by a grenade thrown at him by a group of attackers as he made his way home on a motorbike. Buzubona is linked with the president’s ruling party. On the same day, two armed group members were killed in a clash with the Burundi soldiers 60 kilometres away from Bujumbura.

Earlier today, Nkurunziza spoke out against the death of Kararuza and the ongoing violence in the country as a whole. Kararuza was a prolific fighter in the coup that was staged against the president of Burundi last year by his opponents.

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