Bujumbura — Three persons were shot dead today in the centre of Bujumbura. The victims include an army officer, his fiancée and his would-be future brother-in-law.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, eye witnesses found at the scene revealed to Burundi Realite Agence Presse that the three victims were killed by unknown people on board of a taxi at around 1:00 PM near BCB bank.

Violence has increased in Burundi capital since the PALIPEHUTU-FNL pulled out of negotiations after realizing that President Nkurunziza has no intention to honour promises he made on June 17th when he travelled to Tanzania to meet the Palipehutu-Fnl leader, Rwasa Agathon. Among promises made by president Nkurunziza included the release of all the Palipehutu- Fnl prisoners.

Last night, many gunshots were heard in Cibitoke quarter where four armed robbers were caught by the local population. Increased banditry is observed in various parts of the country. This is potentially due to thousands of weapons circulating among the Burundi population.

The Nkurunziza government has been criticized for its failure to implement an effective mechanism of disarmement of the population.