Burundi's capital was quiet last night but it was not clear who was in charge after a tumultuous day in which thousands of people celebrated an attempted coup against President Pierre Nkurunziza.
While Nkurunziza was in neighboring Tanzania for a summit on his country's troubles, an army general announced on a private radio station that the president had been relieved of his duties.
But Nkurunziza's office said in the evening that the coup attempt was unsuccessful, posting a statement on the president's Twitter and Facebook accounts.
"A group of soldiers mutinied this morning and made a fantasy declaration of a coup d'etat," said the statement. "This attempted coup was foiled and these people ... Are sought by defense and security forces so they are brought to justice."
Earlier in the day police withdrew from the streets of Bujumbura, the capital, after the general's announcement that the president's mandate had ended.
Thousands of people celebrated the apparent coup. During almost three weeks of unrest in which 15 people were killed, the military acted as a buffer between police and protesters who oppose Nkurunziza's bid for a third term, saying it violates the Constitution and Arusha peace accords that ended a civil war here.
Whether the general had the support of the entire military was unclear but people thronged Bujumbura's streets and applauded soldiers who rode around in tanks and trucks. Some of them smiled and one raised his rifle to acknowledge the cheering crowd.
Nkurunziza was in Tanzania for a summit to end the unrest. But by late today afternoon, he had still not been seen by journalists at the State House in Dar es Salaam where the meeting of the East African heads of state took place. The president of Tanzania, Jikaya Kiwkete who chaired the summit, said the leaders condemned the coup attempt and called for return to constitutional order.
In a statement, he also said the summit participants want authorities in Burundi to postpone the June vote because "the current situation is not conducive for elections." Earlier in Burundi's capital, army troops surrounded the state radio offices.
