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Bujumbura — At least two policemen were injured during a grenade attack in Burundi’s capital yesterday, witnesses said, as the country awaited results from Monday’s parliamentary election which was boycotted by the opposition.

Sporadic gunfire could also be heard in several other flashpoint districts in Bujumbura, marring celebrations marking the independence day holiday in the former Belgian colony in east Africa.

Burundi has been locked in its worst political crisis since its civil war ended a decade ago, with protests erupting in late April against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid to seek a third term in office.

The presidential vote is due on July 15.

The United States and other Western powers have criticised Monday’s poll, saying the conditions were not right to stage a fair election.

“Two policemen were injured,” said Fabien, a resident of Mutakura district where weeks of street protests took place against Nkurunziza in May and early June.

Fabien said it appeared some civilians were also wounded when two grenades exploded but it was not clear how many.

Another resident confirmed explosions took place early in the morning and reported a heavy police presence in the area after the blasts.

A police spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

The electoral commission (CENI) has said it expects results from the poll to be announced yesterday or today.

Although the opposition coalition did not campaign and boycotted the race, names of the parties were still on the ballot paper. A CENI official told state radio their votes would be counted and they would be awarded any seats they won.

The government has pressed on with the election schedule despite the turmoil. Opponents say the president’s attempt to stand again violates the constitution.

Nearly 10 000 Burundians fled the country over the weekend before Burundi closed its borders ahead of controversial and violence-wracked elections in the troubled east African nation, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

Since Burundi’s political turmoil began in April, some 144,000 people have fled the country, with the numbers surging towards the end of last week, the UN refugee agency said.

“The pace this weekend spiked . . . We saw over the weekend 10,000 more Burundians fleeing the country,” the UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming told reporters in Geneva.

More than 6,000 had arrived in neighbouring Tanzania alone over the two-day period, bringing the total there to around 66,600. Another 56,500 are in Rwanda, 11,500 in Democratic Republic of Congo and more than 9,000 in Uganda, the UNHCR said.

Burundian officials closed the borders late Sunday ahead of Monday’s controversial parliamentary polls — something they claim is common practice during elections — and plan to reopen them late on Tuesday. — AFP