Burundi’s opposition has urged voters to follow their lead and boycott the presidential election scheduled for Tuesday, warning the vote would deepen political deadlock in a nation with a long history of political violence and ethnic strife.

President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to seek a third-term in office has plunged the small east African nation into its worst crisis since an ethnically charged civil war ended in 2005. Though street protests and a would-be coup were quelled, almost daily violence has left the country on a knife edge.

There were unconfirmed media reports posted on Twitter of an explosion in the capital Bujumbura late on Monday. No further details were immediately available.

Diplomats worry that the disorder may see Burundi slide back into civil war, a frightening prospect for a Great Lakes region still scarred by the 1994 Rwandan genocide in which about 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed.

Nkurunziza’s government has pledged to push ahead with the July 21 election, ignoring calls from the African Union (AU), United States and other Western powers for the vote to be delayed due to growing insecurity.

Charles Nditije, leader of the Uprona party, which is part of the opposition Amizero Y’abarundi coalition, called on the outside world not to recognize a vote in which Nkurunziza will stand unopposed after the opposition withdrew from the race.

“I am urging Burundi citizens not to go to polls this July 21 which are not democratic,” he told Reuters via phone in the capital Bujumbura.

An AU official on Monday confirmed the regional body would not be sending election monitors to Burundi because “the conditions are not conducive for credible, transparent, free and fair elections”.

Jacob Enoh Eben, spokesman for African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said that if the vote went ahead the AU would meet to “debate on the way forward”.

Opposition parties say Nkurunziza’s re-election bid is unconstitutional and are boycotting the election race. The president cites a court ruling declaring he can run for five more years in office.

Months of talks between the two sides have yielded almost no results, and the latest negotiations broke down on Sunday when the government mediator did not show up for discussions.

Government spokesman Philippe Nzobonariba said the vote, which was delayed from June 26, would not be put back again and he urged Burundians to go to the polls “en masse to express their legitimate will”.

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Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is meeting his US counterpart, Barack Obama, to discuss the fight against Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

President Obama’s wife Michelle got involved in the online campaign, #BringBackOurGirls, after the group kidnapped some 200 girls last year.

The US sent surveillance flights over Nigeria to help locate them.

However, the US refuses to sell weapons to Nigeria because of concerns over its army’s human right record.

The two are also expected to discuss the recovery of money stolen by Nigerian officials, which is believed to have been deposited in US bank accounts.

President Obama praised the March elections which voted Mr Buhari into office as “an affirmation of Nigeria’s commitment to democracy,” says AFP news agency.

President Buhari replied by saying Nigeria will “ever be grateful” for the US help in ensuring the elections were free fair and credible.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation, biggest economy and biggest oil producer.

Mr Buhari, a former military ruler, was invited to Washington shortly after becoming the first opposition candidate to win a national election.

Nigeria is seeking US co-operation in combating Boko Haram militants.

The US had previously agreed to help Nigeria fight the insurgency, especially after more than 200 school girls were kidnapped by the militants group from their dormitory in Chibok early last year.

However, relations between the US and the administration of Nigeria’s former President, Goodluck Jonathan, soured, amid accusations of human rights violations by the Nigerian military.

President Buhari will also seize the opportunity to seek US assistance to recover billions of dollars from bank accounts in the United States, Switzerland and elsewhere.

The US and other G7 countries had promised to assist Nigeria discover the money – if the country could provide evidence that it had been stolen from the country.

Nigeria will also need US assistance in the fight against corruption, which is one of the issues the country’s president had promised to tackle during his campaign days.

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The past few months have been politically scintillating, becoming charged ever since Mr John Patrick Amama Mbabazi declared his intention to contest for the Presidency of Uganda.

Since that time both his critics and proponents have shown a heightened level of anxiety, with many giving differing opinions about Mbabazi’s current station in his party, the National Resistance Movement, and the government, where he has served in several high-level positions.

Most prominent of the former Prime Minister’s critics are some serving Ministers and party loyalists, who have taken to bashing their erstwhile boss whenever opportunity avails itself; something that many say has ‘helped expose the cracks’ in the ruling party.

Fortunately, President Yoweri Museveni, who is also the NRM party chairman, has elected to maintain a deafening silence, not making any belittling statements against his former ally and confidant.

Just like in every human endeavor or activity, in party politics, it is always advisable to respect the rules set therein, to avoid scuttling the collective gains already registered. This calls for civility and humility, because the two virtues are very important facets for any politician seeking to further his opportunities in any political organisation.

That said, if Uganda is to attain any meaningful development, it is important for all political players to put the country and its citizens before their individual interests.

It is only then that we, the citizens, will begin appreciating the daunting tasks of the people who lead us.

There is need for mutual respect among our politicians and countrymen

The past few months have been politically scintillating, becoming charged ever since Mr John Patrick Amama Mbabazi declared his intention to contest for the presidency of Uganda.

Since that time both his critics and proponents have shown a heightened level of anxiety, with many giving differing opinions about Mbabazi’s current station in his party, the National Resistance Movement, and the government, where he has served in several high-level positions.

Most prominent of the former Prime Minister’s critics are some serving Ministers and party loyalists, who have taken to bashing their erstwhile boss whenever opportunity avails itself; something that many say has ‘helped expose the cracks’ in the ruling party.

Fortunately, President Yoweri Museveni, who is also the NRM party chairman, has elected to maintain a deafening silence, not making any belittling statements against his former ally and confidant.

Just like in every human endeavor or activity, in party politics, it is always advisable to respect the rules set therein, to avoid scuttling the collective gains already registered. This calls for civility and humility, because the two virtues are very important facets for any politician seeking to further his opportunities in any political organisation.

That said, if Uganda is to attain any meaningful development, it is important for all political players to put the country and its citizens before their individual interests.

It is only then that we, the citizens, will begin appreciating the daunting tasks of the people who lead us.

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