[UAH] Three killed in Burundi bar attack

Three killed in Burundi bar attack

Gunmen in Burundi killed three people and seriously wounded two others when they opened fire in a crowded bar and exploded a grenade overnight Saturday, a local government official said.

Unknown gunmen burst into the busy bar in Karusi, 155 kilometres (95 miles) northeast of the capital Bujumbura, said provincial governor Richard Nzokirantevye.

"They shot and killed the owner and a bartender... then they threw a grenade that exploded and seriously wounded three others, including local government officials," he said.

"One of the wounded later died while on the way to hospital."

At least four suspects have been arrested, he added.

Such attacks have become rare in Karusi, located in the heart of Burundi, unlike its western regions that border Democratic Republic of Congo, where holdout rebels still operate.

Burundi has seen a resurgence of violence since disputed 2010 elections, but the authorities have dismissed rebels who have taken up arms again as "armed bandits".

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Gwokto La'Kitgum