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As Election Nears Burundi Government Cracks Down On Opposition

As Election Nears Burundi Government Cracks Down On Opposition

From AlJazeera

Burundi has sentenced a top opposition chief to five years in prison for bribery and arrested another for having links to a rebel group, according to opposition leaders.

Action against the two leaders in the central African country came amid growing fears of the risk of violence ahead of elections, with a string of attacks including a five-day battle earlier this month between the army and rebels.

The two leaders were the latest of several politicians to face criminal charges ahead of the polls in May and June.

Opposition leaders said the arrests were the government’s way to block them from running for seats.

Frederic Bamvuginyumvira, a former Burundian vice-president and current deputy leader of the Front for Democracy (Frodebu) party, was sentenced on Thursday to five years in jail for bribery following a sex scandal.

He told the AFP news agency that the sentence by the country’s anti-corruption court was made to “remove me from the electoral race.”

 

Read more at AlJazeera