Zedi
Feruzi, the leader of the UPD party was killed along with his bodyguard
in a drive-by shooting in Bujumbura, Pierre Nkurikiye said.
President Pierre Nkurunziza's office said Saturday that it was "very moved by the assassination."
The
killers have not yet been identified, Nkurunziza's office said in a
statement. A radio journalist was seriously wounded in the attack near
Feruzi's home.
The violence comes a day
after at least three people were killed and 21 were wounded by two
grenades thrown in a market attack in Bujumbura. A suspect is in
custody, Nkurikiye told CNN earlier.
The
turmoil, much of it centered around Nkurunziza's decision to seek a
third term, has been ongoing for more than a month. Such a re-election
bid is prohibited by the agreement that ended the nation's 1993-2003
civil war, yet the President is pushing forward nonetheless.
Earlier this week he moved the elections to June 6, 10 days later than originally scheduled.
Protesters
determined to prevent his candidacy have demonstrated in the capital
and police have met them with deadly force. Such clashes haven't let up,
with the almost daily protests continuing on Saturday. More than 20
people have been killed in the demonstrations, including at least five
policemen, Burundian government spokesman Willy Nyamtiwe said.
The
military has sometimes acted as a buffer between police and protesters.
That happened again Wednesday in Bujumbura, with troops urging police
not to fire live rounds on protesters.
More
than 110,000 people have fled to Tanzania and other neighboring
countries, U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said Thursday. At least 27 of them
have died of cholera they contracted in refugee camps.
The
United States has said that "the decision by the Burundian President
Nkurunziza to disregard the Arusha Agreement to run for a third term has
created instability and violence."
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