Source: BDlive 
More than 5,000 Burundians fled to Rwanda at the weekend following mounting tensions in the central African country, bringing the number of arrivals this month to nearly 21,000, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Tuesday. 

"There has been a sharp increase in the number of Burundian refugees in Rwanda," said Ariane Rummery, the agency's spokeswoman.

The government of Rwanda expects the number to rise to 50,000 refugees.

Another 3,800 Burundian nationals had fled to the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo this month, the UNHCR said.

Most of the arrivals in Rwanda were women and children, Ms Rummery said, adding they had reported facing intimidation and threats of violence linked to upcoming elections.

The outflow came as the official list of candidates for Burundi's presidential elections on June 26 was published at the weekend, with President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid to cling to power for a third term sparking huge demonstrations.

At least five people have died since clashes broke out on Sunday after the ruling CNDD-FDD party confirmed Mr Nkurunziza's candidacy.

The government has banned all protests and deployed large numbers of police and troops to quell the unrest. Some of those killed were shot at close range.

Hundreds of stone-throwing protesters have been arrested.

"The situation is quite chaotic at the moment," said a spokeswoman for the UN agency, Karin de Gruijl. "We think this violence might continue and this fear of violence might continue and that there might be a bigger outflux, particularly to Rwanda."

Rwanda, which already hosts more than 74,000 refugees, mainly from Congo, has allocated land in Mahama in Eastern Province for a new refugee camp. It can hold up to 50,000 people. The UNHCR said it was helping to move refugees to the camp in daily convoys of up to 1,500 people.

Mr Nkurunziza's spokesman said the president would continue his bid for a third term.

Head of presidential communications Willy Nyamitwe blamed demonstrators for the violence and accused some of carrying guns. "We won't back down, that is out of the question. This path of violence they have chosen, we recall the darkest years of our history," he said.

The police said at least 37 officers had been wounded. Police reinforcements boosted the security forces on the streets on Tuesday but protesters remained defiant, although most were contained in side streets, blocked from centre of the capital, Bujumbura.

Police chief Andre Ndayambaje appealed for people not to turn "protests into a rebellion". But senior opposition leader Charles Nditije said protests would continue until Mr Nkurunziza agreed not to run.

"He will have no other choice than to give it up because we are determined to go all the way," Mr Nditije said.

On Monday authorities arrested a leading dissident, human rights activist Pierre-Claver Mbonimpa, and shut down the main independent radio station. An arrest warrant has been issued for Vital Nshimirimana, head of a prominent nongovernmental organisation, who has gone into hiding.

 

• Burundi