Police opens fire on protesters

The ongoing protests in Burundi have taken an ugly turn as police have reportedly opened fire on a big crowd of protesters.

Reports say they used tear gas and live ammunition on some several hundred protesters in the centre of Bujumbura, Burundi's capital.

Burundi has been rocked by violent protests; which has claimed 20 lives so far, the worst since the end of the 12-year civil war in 2005, over President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision to run for a 3rd term in office.

Nkurunziza has been president since 2005 and insists on running for a 3rd term despite calls from the West and African leaders to step down.

He argues that he is entitled to run for a 3rd term because he was first appointed to the role by parliament in 2005.

In the meantime  Nkurunziza is heading to Tanzania for a summit on the crisis, where he will hold talks with other East African heads of state on how to end the violence.