Nkurunziza pledges to step down

Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza said last week he would not run for another term, despite widespread belief that he backed a new Constitution extending term limits in a bid to cling to power. 'I will not go back on my word. Our mandate ends in 2020,' Nkurunziza said in a speech in Gitega. The Star reports that he said the Constitution was amended 'for the good and better future of Burundi and the Burundian people'. The announcement came shortly after he signed into law a new Constitution that could enable him to rule until 2034. Nkurunziza's decision to run for election in 2015 plunged the country into turmoil with opponents saying it went against a peace deal that had ended more than a decade of civil war.