Burundi says at least 13 killed, dozens injured in military base blast

Army spokesperson says houses, buildings, vehicles ​and military equipment were destroyed in ammunition depot blast.

Burundi’s army says that at least 13 civilians have been killed and 57 others were wounded when ammunition exploded due to an electrical short circuit at a military base in the economic capital Bujumbura.

“Houses were damaged in various neighbourhoods as well as private vehicles. Military equipment and facilities burned and were destroyed,” army spokesperson General Gaspard Baratuza said in a statement on Wednesday.

The army did not specify if any soldiers had been killed, but said three were among those wounded.

The explosions erupted late on Tuesday at the main ammunition depot of the Burundi National Defence Force (FDNB) in Musaga, a southern suburb of Bujumbura.

The arsenal in Musaga is located in a densely populated area and adjoins the Higher Institute for Military Cadres (ISCAM), where aspiring army officers are trained and housed.

Burundi, ranked by the World Bank as the world’s poorest country by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in 2023, has faced years of deep economic crises, including a severe fuel shortage.

A senior police officer present at the site, who joined the firefighting team late Tuesday, said efforts were immediately slowed by a water shortage.

He said property had been destroyed by the “massive inferno” and that the “base camp was reduced to ashes”.

On Wednesday afternoon, fire and smoke could still be seen, according to the police officer.

President Evariste Ndayishimiye, in a message on social media, expressed his “sympathy” to “all those who have been victims of the fire”.

Burundian authorities urged citizens to report unexploded munitions by phone, warning: “Be careful and DO NOT TOUCH”.