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US Orders Government Personnel Out of Burundi Amid Violence


Burundian police officers collect a cache of weapons recovered from suspected fighters after clashes in the capital Bujumbura, Dec. 12, 2015.
Burundian police officers collect a cache of weapons recovered from suspected fighters after clashes in the capital Bujumbura, Dec. 12, 2015.

The U.S. government is urging its citizens to leave Burundi amid deadly clashes involving military and police.

The State Department says it has ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. officials and the families of personnel, as political violence roils the country in the wake of contested elections and an attempted coup in May.

The U.S. Embassy can only offer limited emergency services to U.S. citizens in Burundi, the State Department said in a travel warning.

Friday, more than 80 people were killed when armed attackers raided army facilities in the capital Bujumbura. Among the dead were eight security officers and scores of assailants, according to an army spokesman.

Some material for this report came from AP and AFP.

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