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Former President Bagaza's house searched, associates arrested

    BUJUMBURA

    Police on Friday morning searched the residence of former Burundi President Col Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, and arrested four members of his opposition political party.

    Bagaza, who is currently head of the Parti pour le redressement national (Parena) and a member of the transitional government senate, said he did know why his house had been searched nor why some of his party members had been arrested.

    "I first refused to cooperate with the police, because there was nothing to search here," Bagaza said at his residence in the capital, Bujumbura. "The problem of Burundi is those who are shooting from everywhere and who are negotiating in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, after committing crimes, including genocide. As far as I am concerned, I do not feel guilty of anything."

    The four arrested were Parena Secretary-General Leonidas Ntakare, Permanent Secretary Christophe Hicintuka, the party's spokesman, Zenon Nimubona, and Benoit Ndorimana.

    An agent of the government intelligence service said on condition of anonymity that the action was "linked to Parena political agitation" over the past few days. No police or government official gave reasons for the search and arrests.

    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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