Crowds of Burundians celebrated the military coup in downtown Bujumbura on Wednesday, May 13, after Major General Godefroid Niyombare announced in a radio broadcast that he had ousted President Pierre Nkurunziza. The presidency originally denied the coup, then issued a statement on Facebook declaring that it had been thwarted.
The announcement comes after weeks of deadly protests in Burundi, sparked by Nkurunziza’s bid for what has been widely condemned as an ‘unconsitutional’ third term in office.
Hundreds of demonstrators descended on the capital’s streets on Wednesday, trying to reach the national radio station RTNB. Gunfire was reportedly heard, as the military attempted to disperse the crowds. This footage shows crowds scattering from Bujumbura’s Independence Square af
