General Who Led Burundi's President Coup Arrested

Major General Godefroid Niyombare was arrested along with three other senior army and police officers for their role in the attempted coup.
"They will be held answerable," the spokesman told the Reuters news agency.  Meanwhile, President Pierre Nkurunziza is back in Burundi and is due to address the country later. He is travelling from the northern city of Ngozi to the capital Bujumbura, the spokesman said. 

On Friday the streets of Bujumbura were quiet as government forces sought to regain control.

Mr Nkurunziza had been in Tanzania when Maj Gen Niyombare announced his coup to overthrow him.

Heavy gunfight erupted on Thursday between loyalist troops and forces supporting the general, after weeks of sometimes violent protests against the president.

The recent unrest led more than 105,000 people to flee the country for Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN refugee agency said.

And in a sign of continuing tension, the US Embassy said non-emergency personnel and the dependents of its staff are to leave the country. 

The embassy is due to be closed on Friday, and no decision has been made on whether it will reopen next week.

The protests began when Mr Nkurunziza announced he intended to run for a third term. At least 20 people were killed and scores were wounded.

Many protesters also celebrated on the streets when the coup was declared.

Burundi's constitution states a president can be popularly elected to two five-year terms. Mr Nkurunziza maintains he is eligible for a third because he was appointed by parliament, not elected, to his first term.  

A court has ruled that Mr Nkurunziza can run again but his opponents and some donors have questioned the court's impartiality.