Bujumbura was hit by several simultaneous grenade attacks early on Tuesday evening, May 25, targeting three bustling bus stops and sowing panic in a city that had not seen such attacks in several years. The sources speak of two to seven victims and dozens injured.
These explosions took place over a period of five minutes on a shaft running from north to south of Burundi’s former capital. The first at the Cotebu bus stop in the Ngagara district, further north. A second took place at Permanence between the districts of Bwiza and Buyenzi, and finally two other explosions a little further south, near the Musaga bus stop in the city center.
Rush hour attacks and panic scenes
“These terrorists wanted to kill the maximum number of victims” because they threw their grenades around 7 pm local time. “A rush hour in Bujumbura” estimates a security source. Tolls are very heavy. “Two dead and wounded”, according to a preliminary report from the Ministry of Public Security. Witnesses and security sources report at least seven dead and more than 80 injured, some in very serious condition.
It has been a long time since the city of Bujumbura had experienced such an outbreak of violence. People who were seized in panic ran in all directions, buses from the dozen took one-way lanes to escape as quickly as possible. Witnesses describe scenes of widespread panic that lasted a long time.
Attacks before the security summit in Central Africa
The security forces immediately put hundreds of men on the streets and have already made dozens of official arrests for investigation.
Sources believe that the attacks were intended to show that peace and security do not rule as Bujumbura is hosting a meeting of a UN committee responsible for security issues in Central Africa. This is the first major meeting organized by Burundi since the crisis in 2015.
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