by Our Foreign Desk

TROOPS loyal to Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza fought the followers of coup leader General Godefroid Niyombare on the streets of the capital Bujumbura yesterday.

Gunfire and explosions rang out around the city centre as soldiers battled to restore order to the east African country.

Mr Nkurunziza urged the country to remain calm amid the attempted coup and assured citizens that the situation was under control.

Army chief of staff General Prime Niyongabo announced on national radio late on Wednesday that he was against Gen Niyombare, who unilaterally declared the dissolution of Mr Nkurunziza’s government on Wednesday, in what one official called “a joke.”

On Wednesday night a grenade attack seriously damaged the building of broadcaster Renaissance TV, where Gen Niyombare made his coup statement, said station director Innocent Muhozi, adding that one of his offices was also burned overnight.

At the time of the “dissolution,” the president was in neighbouring Tanzania for talks aimed at ending weeks of violent opposition protests — in which 15 people were killed — against his bid for a third term in office, which the courts had already ruled legitimate.

Also in attendance were the presidents of Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania and South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Tanzanian president Jikaya Kiwkete, who chaired the summit, said that regional leaders condemned the coup and called for a return to constitutional order.

Mr Nkurunziza’s ruling CNDD-FDD party won 58 per cent of the vote and 64 out of 118 seats in the 2005 national assembly elections.

The far smaller CNDD led by Leonard Nyangoma, which split from Mr Nkurunziza’s party a decade ago, is supporting the coup.

While Burundi’s constitution only allows a president to serve two terms of office, Mr Nkurunziza argued that since he was elected to his first term by the national assembly, he was still able to stand twice more in direct elections.

The US government called on all sides on Wednesday to end the violence.Washington expressed full support for the ongoing work by regional leaders to restore peace and unity in the country, but failed to condemn the coup or support the legitimate government.