As he begins a contentious third term, President Pierre Nkurunziza faces two key challenges — an unstable country and a divided populace.

The incumbent won 69 per cent of the votes cast in the controversial presidential election on July 21, which was highly criticised by both the East African Community and the United Nations observer mission for lack of transparency and inclusiveness.

Violence erupted in April when the ruling party CNDD-FDD re-elected Nkurunziza as its flag bearer in the presidential election.

Over the past two months, protesters in Bujumbura have remained defiant of government forces, with shelling and heavy gunfire being heard mainly at night in the suburbs of Buterere, Cibitoke, Mutakura, Musaga, Kanyosha, Ngagara, Nyakabiga, Jabe and Bwiza.

READ: Bujumbura now scene of random attacks

The government has cracked down on protesters and has been disarming civilians in illegal possession of weapons, in an operation aimed at restoring stability.

“Jabe was recently under siege for at least 24 hours by the police, who were searching for weapons among civilians,” said police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye. “So far, we have confiscated more than 300 firearms.”

Targeted killings by unknown gangs have continued in the country. President Nkurunziza’s aide and trusted general Adolphe Nshimirimana and two of his bodyguards recently lost their lives. President Nkurunziza has ordered an investigation.

“A certain number of the general’s killers were arrested and others are still being sought,” said chief prosecutor, Valentin Bagorikunda. “We call on the citizens to give any information regarding the whereabouts of perpetrators so that they can be brought to justice.”

Analysts trace Burundi’s problems to the 2000 Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement on which the country’s Constitution is founded, and which is regarded as the document that brought back peace to the country. It says that the president is eligible to run for office for not more than two terms.

Protestors say that the incumbent’s third term violates the country’s Constitution and the Arusha peace deal.

But President Nkurunziza and his supporters argue that Article 96 of the Constitution gives a president directly elected by universal suffrage a term of five years and the chance to seek re-election for another term. And given that President Nkurunziza came to power through election by the country’s parliament in 2005, they say he has served only one term through direct election via universal suffrage.

Since violence broke out in Burundi, more than 80 people have been killed while hundreds of protesters have been arrested. More than 180,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries.

Call to step aside

“Nkurunziza has to step aside; sovereignty belongs to the people who placed their trust and confidence in the president twice,” said Vital Nshimirimana, chair of the Civil Society Organisation Forum, currently in exile.

Nshimirimana, who spearheaded the citizen’s campaign against President Nkurunziza’s third term, added that the only way of removing President Pierre Nkurunziza from power would be through dialogue.

Meanwhile, opposition leaders have created the National Council for the Restoration of the Arusha Agreement and Rule of Law, based in Addis Ababa.

It includes civil society leaders, former second vice president Gervais Rufyikiri and former Speaker of parliament, Pie Ntavyohanyuma, who fled to Belgium last June and July respectively.

Earlier this month, Burundi’s ruling party chairman Pascal Nyabenda said CNDD-FDD was ready to create a government of national unity as recommended by both the East African Community Heads of States Summit and the African Union, but there is silence from the government side in resuming the negotiations as recommended by United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon.

The talks facilitated by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni started on July 14 but were suspended as the controversial presidential elections were underway.

Both parties agreed on immediate disarmament of people illegally armed, and the release by the government of all underage and political detainees.

According to the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Burundian government released 86 children who were formally held on protest-related charges.