Burundi opposition party leader killed

KAMPALA, Uganda — The leader of a Burundi opposition party was killed Saturday by unknown assailants in the nation’s capital, Bujumbura, local media reported.

Iwacu, a prominent news organization in Burundi, reported on its website that Zedi Feruzi of the UPD-Zigamibanga party was slain late Saturday in a drive-by shooting.

His killing occurred as tensions are high in the Central African country, which has been hit by political unrest since the announcement late last month that President Pierre Nkurunziza would seek another term in office.

There have been almost daily street protests in Bujumbura over Nkurunziza’s third-term bid, a decision that also sparked a failed move by some military officers to oust the president.

At least 20 people have died and 431 people have been wounded in protests against the president’s decision to run in the elections scheduled for June 26.