A video which surfaced on the X platform after multiple blasts hit Burundi’s main city of Bujumbura on Tuesday due to an electrical fire outbreak at a military arsenal in the east African nation, has been falsely attributed to a coup.
The claim
An X user, Africa Today Media Group had shared the video of the explosion and claimed that a coup had taken place in the country.
The post reads, “Breaking news 🚨
Possible Coup in Burundi 🇧🇮
“A possible coup unfolding in Bujumbura the capital city of Burundi
“Since 6 Pm Central Time, explosions, gun fire and bombs have been going on.
“We are waiting for our correspondents in the area to give us the latest.
Official response
An army spokesperson said emergency services were intervening and urged the public to remain calm after the incident sparked fears of a coup against the government, Reuters reported on Tuesday evening.
“A serious electrical accident in the ammunition store of the FDNB (Burundi National Defence Force) based in Musaga is the cause of the explosions currently being heard in the economic capital Bujumbura,” Burundian army spokesman Gaspard Baratuza said.
“We urge the public to remain calm and avoid the surrounding areas; the relevant services are currently intervening,” Baratuza added in a message shared in a WhatsApp group for journalists.
Musaga sits in the southern suburbs of Bujumbura, the economic capital of a country ranked by the World Bank as the Earth’s poorest by GDP per head in 2023.
How resident reacted
According to France24, a resident of the Gasekebuye neighbourhood, located several kilometres from Musaga, told AFP that “the base camp is sending out munitions”.
“It’s munitions that are burning. They’re sending bombs our way. In my house, some windows have already shattered,” the resident told AFP by phone.
