New Clashes Between Police and Protesters in Bujumbura

Police and protesters again clashed in Bujumbura, Burundi, on May 19, with both local and international members of the press reporting that the security services held them back from the scenes of anti-government rallies. Police responded to protesters throwing rocks by firing tear gas canisters, according to reports.

A journalist in Burundi told Storyful that police in Musaga were “knocking protesters with support of Imbonerakure”, the youth wing of the country’s ruling CNDD-FDD party, while pushing press back from the area. He said press received “no support from soldiers” standing nearby and that police attempted to confiscate a camera from an Al Jazeera crew reporting from the scene. This claim was echoed by the channel’s Africa correspondent Hanu Mutasa. Credit: Albert Rudatsimburwa