DHAKA: At least 34 bodies have been found lying in the streets of Burundi’s capital as unrest worsens.

A BBC reporter saw 21 in one district of Bujumbura and local officials spoke of 13 in another. Most appear to be young men killed by gunfire, some with their hands tied behind their backs.

The bodies were found a day after attacks on three military sites.

Unrest has blighted Burundi since an attempted coup in May and protests over the president’s continued rule.

The attempt to overthrow President Pierre Nkurunziza followed his decision to seek a third term in office, which he won in a disputed election in July.

The largest number of bodies found on Saturday was in Bujumbura’s Nyakabiga district, a focus of anti-government protests.

Others were discovered in the southern neighborhood of Musaga. There are reports of more bodies in other parts of the city.

Residents accuse the police of detaining young men during house-to-house searches on Friday and then murdering them.

But a police spokesman told the media there were no ‘collateral victims’ and that those killed had been behind attacks on government installations.

Friday saw some of the worst violence since the unrest began. Officials described heavily armed attackers launching coordinated assaults on army installations in three areas - Ngagara, Musaga and Mujejuru.

An army spokesman said 12 insurgents were killed.

According to the UN, at least 240 people have been killed since April and more than 200,000 have fled to neighboring countries.

BDST: 1839 HRS, DEC 12, 2015
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