Burundi military officer forms new force to challenge president

A former senior Burundi military officer who quit the army this year said on Wednesday he had launched a new force to oppose President Pierre Nkurunziza, whose re-election for a third term this year has plunged the nation into chaos.

The formation of FOREBU, an acronym based on its French name Force Republicaine du Burundi, which was announced by Edouard Nshimirimana in a statement, was the latest challenge to Nkurunziza's rule by a military officer following a coup attempt by a group of generals in May.