The attack on St Mark’s Church in Ngagara comes amidst an upsurge of violence in the capital that left 87 people dead over the weekend and prompted the US Embassy to urge its citizens to leave the country
A child was killed and two people injured at an Anglican Church in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. The attack on St Mark’s Church in Ngagara comes amidst an upsurge of violence in the capital that left 87 people dead over the weekend and prompted the US Embassy to urge its citizens to leave the country. On 9 Dec 2015 gunmen opened fire on St Mark’s Church, Ngagara. A spokesman for the Province told ACNS “one person has been killed and two other persons have been injured. One is the wife of the assistance pastor of St Mark’s and [the other] his child.” He added “This kind of attack is common in the capital here, but it is the first time that a church has been attacked. Ngagara is one of the places that is often attacked. Often there is gunfire and shootings in the place.” The attack came amidst an assault by rebels on a military barracks in the northern suburbs of the city, that also housed jailed opponents of the regime of President Pierre Nkurunziza. Tensions have escalated in the small East African nation since President Nkurunziza announced a bid to run for a third term as president. Opponents charged the president with violating the terms of the country’s new constitution which limited the president to two terms of office. The constitution was created in the wake of a bloody civil war that killed almost 300,000 people between 1993 and 2006, which pitted Hutu and Tutsi tribesmen against each other. Low level political violence has been endemic in Ngagara, a stronghold of opposition to President Nkurunziza, but last week’s attack on the army barracks was the first time rebels targeted a military installation.
