Burundi's President Évariste Ndayishimiye has said that homosexuals in his country "should be stoned". Responding to a reporter's question, Mr Ndayishimiye, a fervent Catholic, said powerful nations "should keep" their aid if it comes with an obligation to give rights to homosexuals. "For me, I think that if we find these people in Burundi they should be taken to stadiums and be stoned, and doing so would not be a crime," he said.
A court in northern Burundi has sentenced two men and a woman to 30 years in prison for attempting to assassinate new President Evariste Ndayishimiye after they threw stones at his convoy.
Burundi's national assembly on Tuesday approved the nomination of Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni, a hardliner under US sanctions for his alleged role in political repression, as prime minister.
Four Burundian journalists and their driver are spending a third day in police detention after being arrested while interviewing residents in the wake of an attack by a rebel group, their employer has said.
Diplomatically isolated and its economy on the skids, Burundi is cautiously reaching out to its opponents in a bid to ease a deepening four-year-old crisis.
Gabon coach Daniel Cousin has included star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in his 23-man squad for their decisive final Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Burundi.
