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Bujumbura calm as Buyoya returns

    NAIROBI

    The situation in Burundi was reported calm on Friday, after a failed coup attempt on Wednesday. President Pierre Buyoya on Thursday arrived back in the country from Libreville, Gabon, where he had been negotiating with rebel leader Jean-Bosco Ndayikengurukiye of the Forces pour la defense de la democratie (FDD). On arrival Buyoya, who was brought to power by a military coup in 1996, condemned the young officers who had attempted Wednesday’s coup. “This kind of attitude will only take us backwards...and especially help the enemy who kills and loots in various regions of Burundi,” news organisations quoted him as saying. Official sources in Bujumbura told IRIN on Friday nothing much was known about the 30 young men who plotted the coup, but an investigation was underway. Some government ministers have suggested opposition politicians could be involved. The dissident soldiers, who had taken over the radio station, surrendered on Wednesday night and are currently being held in custody.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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