Burundi says Belgium behind plot to overthrow president
![At least 240 have been killed and more than 200,000 people have fled the country since the violence started in April [AFP]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f50730_773fc6d1738e4821b97240ac09f5d0e4.jpg/v1/fill/w_800,h_450,al_c,q_80,enc_avif,quality_auto/f50730_773fc6d1738e4821b97240ac09f5d0e4.jpg)
Burundi's government has accused its former colonial ruler Belgium of instigating an attempted coup against President Pierre Nkurunziza in May - a charge Belgium called absurd.
Army officers unhappy with Nkurunziza's bid to seek a third term as leader tried to seize power while he was on an official visit to neighbouring Tanzania.
"We blame Belgium because all the plotters of the coup are in Belgium. The Belgians have given them accommodation and are looking after them. We blame them for the coup," Willy Nyamitwe, spokesman for President Nkurunziza, told Al Jazeera.
"We blame them for the 1972 genocide that happened in this country. They are responsible for all the difficulties our country is facing," Nyamitwe said from the capital, Bujumbura, over the phone.
Cick here to read the Aljazeera report.
