Burundi ex-leader sentenced

NAIROBI: Burundi’s ex-president Pierre Buyoya has been sentenced to life in prison in absentia over the assassination of his successor in 1993, according to a court ruling seen by AFP on Tuesday.

Buyoya was on Monday convicted for "an attack against the head of state" over his role in the killing of the first democratically elected president, Melchior Ndadaye, during a coup d’etat which plunged the country into civil war.

Aside from Buyoya, 18 high-ranking military officials and civilians who were close to him received the same sentence. Another three people were sentenced to 20 years in jail for "complicity" in the crimes and a former prime minister Antoine Nduwayo, was acquitted.

Only five of the accused were present, and the rest were sentenced in absentia. One of the accused told AFP on condition of anonymity that their lawyers had not been informed the ruling was to take place.