BUJUMBURA
Burundian President Pierre Nkurinziza appeared in public for the first time since a failed coup attempt against his rule, warning of impending attacks by Al-Shabaab militant group in Burundi and other Eastern African nations.
Nkurunziza held a press conference at the presidential palace in capital Bujumbura three days after his return from Tanzania following the failure of a coup attempt led by former intelligence chief Godefroid Niyombare.
He told reporters that he had phone consultations of the leaders of Kenya and Uganda.
Nkurunziza said they had intelligence about imminent attacks by Al-Shabaab militant group in the three East African countries.
Burundi has been rocked by protests since late April, when the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy named Nkurunziza – in power since 2005 – its candidate for June presidential polls.
The country's opposition says Nkurunziza does not have the right to seek a third term, citing Burundi's constitution, which limits the number of terms a president can serve to two.
However, Burundi's Constitutional Court has ruled that Nkurunziza's third-term bid would not violate the constitution.
The court ruled that, since he was elected in 2005 by parliament and not by the people, Nkurunziza's first stint in office should not be counted as his first presidential term.
