February 13, 2016
The U.S. Embassy in Burundi has received information of pro-government protests in downtown Bujumbura (about two miles from the Embassy) occurring today, Saturday, February 13, 2016. Considering recent violence in Bujumbura, we recommend U.S. citizens avoid large gatherings of people, maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance their personal security.
U.S. citizens remaining in Burundi should review the Burundi Travel Warning issued on December 13 as well as their personal security situation and seriously consider departing, taking advantage of commercial flights.
Please contact us at BURUNDIEMERGENCYUSC@state.gov if you need assistance departing Burundi so that we may assess potential options for assisting you.
For further information:
- See the State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information for Burundi.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Contact the U.S. Embassy in Bujumbura, located at Avenue des Etats-Unis and Avenue du Cinquantenaire in Bujumbura, Burundi, at +257-22-20-7000 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday. After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +257-22-20-7318, or +257-79-938-841.
- Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
- Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
2. On the main page in the Security Messages for U.S. Citizens box, please remove the link and summary for the oldest security message. Please add a link to the February 13 security message with the following summary:
The U.S. Embassy in Burundi has received information of pro-government protests in downtown Bujumbura (about two miles from the Embassy) occurring today, Saturday, February 13, 2016.
