Opponents say Buyoya may have planned coup

Government opponents say the coup may have been staged-managed by Buyoya himself to prop up the government’s waning popularity. The private Netpress news agency quoted Alphonse Rugambarara, spokesman for the G-8 group of Tutsi parties opposed to Buyoya, as saying he could “not exclude the possibility the coup was staged by the government to crack down on its opponents”. Charles Mukasi, chairman of the opposition faction of the ruling UPRONA party, said the coup could herald “the persecution of those opposed to the current regime”. Philippe Nzobonariba of the pro-Hutu Rassemblement du peuple burundais (RPB) said three issues had surprised him during the coup attempt: “the swift criticism of the National Assembly following the example of the July 1996 events [when Buyoya was returned to power], the ease of entry into the RTNB [Radio Television Nationale du Burundi] as if it were not guarded, as well as the ease of withdrawal from this location”.