(Adds statement from al Shabaab spokesman)
BUJUMBURA, May 17 (Reuters) - Burundian President
Pierre Nkurunziza on Sunday made his first public
appearance in the capital Bujumbura since an attempted
coup last week failed to oust him, warning of a threat
posed by Islamist militants from Somalia.
The east African nation was plunged into crisis after
Nkurunziza said he was seeking a third term of office.
Critics said the move would be unconstitutional, and
there have been almost daily protests since
Nkurunziza's announcement, stirring memories of an
ethnically driven civil war that ended a decade ago.
At a news conference, Nkurunziza, who has not been
seen in the capital for days, did not address the crisis in
his country but said he was "very preoccupied" by the
threat posed by the al Qaeda-linked militant group al
Shabaab.
"We take seriously the threat of al Shabaab," said
Nkurunziza.
He did not elaborate, but Burundi contributes forces to
an African Union peacekeeping mission battling al
Shabaab in Somalia. In recent years, the group has
attacked Kenya and Uganda, which also provide troops.
A spokesman for the Islamist group said Nkurunziza's
remarks were "dumbfounding" and said the problems in
Burundi were "clearly domestic."
"We think that this is an attempt by him to appease his
people, who are standing in the streets protesting
against his dictatorship, or to divert the world's
attention from him while he possibly prepares his mass
revenge," Sheik Ali Mahamud Rage said in a statement to
Reuters.
A leader of a group of Burundian civil society groups,
Vital Nshimirimana, said demonstrations against
Nkurunziza's third term bid, which had largely come to a
halt in recent days, would resume on Monday.
"We ask the international community to follow closely
the situation in Burundi in order to stop the harsh
reprisal against protesters, civil society activists and
opposition leaders," Nshimirimana said in a statement.
OLD WOUNDS
Until the coup attempt, protests had occurred almost
daily in the outskirts of Bujumbura. Protesters hurled
rocks while police fired tear gas, water cannon and were
also seen firing guns at the protesters.
Diplomats say the longer unrest continues the more
chance that a conflict, which up until now has been
largely a struggle for power, reopens old wounds in a
region with a history of ethnic killing.
More than 105,000 people have fled to neighboring
states, including next-door Rwanda, with the same
ethnic mix as Burundi and which was torn apart by a
genocide in 1994 that killed 800,000 mostly Tutsis and
moderate Hutus.
At the Gashora camp in Rwanda, Hakizimana Leonidas, a
farmer who said he was a Tutsi, said he fled Burundi a
day after last week's coup attempt.
"I want to see Burundi as a peaceful country but the
problem is that those who could be protecting us are the
ones causing chaos," said Leonidas, 46.
The constitution and a peace deal that ended the civil
war both specify a two-term presidential limit. But
Nkurunziza is seeking a third term anyway, relying on a
court ruling that his first term does not count because
he was appointed by parliament, not elected. His
opponents and some donors have questioned the
court's impartiality.
The heavy-handed response of the police to
demonstrations in recent weeks has drawn stern rebukes
from Western donors, who have urged the president not
to run again, while the African Union condemned any
attempt to seize power through violence.
Pope Francis called for an end to the violence in Burundi
during prayers held at St Peter's Square in the Vatican.
Asking for a prayer for the people of Burundi, he said:
"May the Lord help them to escape from violence and act
responsibly for the good of the country."
In March, the Catholic church in Burundi, which
represents more than two-thirds of the population, came
out against the president seeking a third term.
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