News / Foreign Policy

American citizens urged to leave Burundi

Monday, 14 December 2015 10:29 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 14 December 2015 10:32 AM ]

Army members sit aboard a vehicle driving through the Musaga neighborhood of the capital Bujumbura, Burundi, December 11, 2015. (AFP photo)

The US State Department has warned Americans against traveling to Burundi, amid heightened tensions in the African country.

In a travel warning issued Sunday, Washington urged its citizens who are currently in Burundi to leave the country “as soon as it is feasible to do so.”

"As a result of continuing violence, the Department of State ordered the departure of dependents of US government personnel and non-emergency US government personnel from Burundi," the statement read.

American citizens who risk facing violence were also advised to stay indoors in ground floor rooms, away from doors and windows.

The State Department noted that the embassy in Burundi does not have enough resources to accommodate all US citizens in the time of emergency and is “able to offer only very limited emergency services.”

The warning came after 87 people were killed in the capital Bujumbura, during attacks against three military sites by unidentified gunmen on Friday.

The recent wave of violence is the worst to hit the African country since the failed coup attempt back in May, which was sparked by President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid to run for a third term.

According to the United Nations (UN), at least 240 people have been killed and more than 200,000 have fled to neighboring countries since the onset of the protests against Nkurunziza’s ultimately successful quest for a third term.

The US was not the first country to issue such warning, as Belgium also urged its citizens to leave the country last month. The European Union (EU) has also cut staff levels, temporarily evacuating employees' "families and part of the non-essential staff."

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