Celebrations in Bujumbura After Coup Declared

Hundreds of residents of Burundi’s capital Bujumbura streamed onto the streets to celebrate a reported coup on Wednesday, May 13. According to reports, General Godefroid Niyombareh told reporters that a committee had been set up to run the country, prompting celebrations in the capital.

“We consider it as a joke not as a military coup,” presidential aide Willy Niyamitwe told Reuters.

On May 14, Reuters reported Army Chief of Staff General Prime Niyongabo saying the coup had failed. However, heavy gunfire was reported through the day in Bujumbura. Credit: YouTube/Arthur Molenaar