NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Burundi's attorney general has issued 17 arrest warrants for former military and civilian officials suspected of involvement in the assassination of the country's first democratically elected president.
At the top of the list is former president Pierre Buyoya, now the high representative of the African Union. He has not reacted publicly.
Attorney General Sylvestre Nyandwi says the suspects allegedly were involved in the planning and execution of the killing of Melchior Ndadaye in 1993.
In events marking 25 years since the assassination in October, Burundi's justice minister told lawmakers that those suspected had held powerful positions for many years, delaying efforts at accountability.
The lawyer defending Ndadaye's family calls the announcement "a great step towards justice."
Burundi remains in political turmoil around President Pierre Nkurunziza's stay in power.
