Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza Pledges to Step Down in 2020

Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza said he will step down after elections in 2020, in a statement that may help ease the East African nation’s political crisis.

Burundi has been gripped by unrest since 2015 when the president sought re-election after two terms in office, a move his opponents said went against a peace deal that ended a decade-long civil war. Last month, a new constitution was approved in a national referendum that extends the presidential term to seven from five years and restores the post of prime minister.