TheCable

An unknown gunman has killed environment minister Emmanuel Niyonkuru in the conflict-ridden East African nation of Burundi, a police spokesman said on Sunday.

The minister was shot dead with a pistol in the early hours of Sunday.

The tragic incident happened in the streets of the Rohero neighbourhood in the capital, Bujumbura, police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye said on Twitter.

The police have arrested a woman over her alleged involvement in the assassination.

Burundi has been suffering from ongoing political violence since President Pierre Nkurunziza won a third term in office in July 2015 elections.

Hundreds of people have been killed by police and armed opposition groups in the violence.