THE BOTTOM IS FALLING OUT OF BURUNDI NOW
(Posted 11th December 2015)
Following Denis Gathanju’s report yesterday night from Burundi, which made harrowing reading against the background of gun fire outside his hotel, has today Kenya Airways confirmed that they have halted all flights to Bujumbura, Burundi’s capital city. RwandAir too have reportedly halted flights into Bujumbura, effectively cutting the country off air connections, leaving business visitors scrambling to get out of the strife riddled country.
Kenya Airways made the following statement available to this correspondent and also posted it on their widely read Facebook Page:
Start quote:
Kenya Airways would like to inform all its guests that flights to Bujumbura, Burundi today have been cancelled due to halted operations at the international airport.
Flights KQ 448, KQ 444 and KQ 466 will not operate into Bujumbura International Airport today due to a security incident that has kept all airport personnel away from their workstations making it difficult to access.
Kenya Airways wishes to thank all its guests for their patience and continued support and assure them that their safety is paramount.
We remain committed to the integrity of our operations as we aim to bring the World to Africa and Africa to the World. We will keep you updated on any changes.
For further information do not hesitate to contact our 24 hour contact centre on +254 20 327 4747, email customer.relations.
Thank you for flying the Pride of Africa.
End quote
Regular and reliable sources from Kigali have confirmed that at least two army barracks in Bujumbura came under heavy attack in the wee hours of last night and that casualties numbers are said to be very high. The subsequent fighting has kept airport personnel away from duty as few risked to venture outside, effectively grounding all outbound flights and not letting incoming flights land.
Regime leader Nkurunziza’s cabinet met during the day to ponder the events of last night and earlier today while the region is piling on pressure on him to yield from his hardline position. While no official calls have yet been made by the East African leadership for him to step down is this scenario in view of this latest incident becoming more likely by the day, as the entire region’s stability is now threatened by the intransigence and greed for power of one individual.
For further updates keep checking these lanes.
