Burundi's president appeals for calm from a secret location in Tanzania

Bujumbura: Burundi's president appealed to the nation to stay calm in a brief state statement on the presidential website and his Twitter feed on Thursday, after one general said he had been deposed while another said the coup had failed.

"President Pierre Nkurunziza calls on the Burundian people to remain calm," the statement said, after the Army Chief of Staff General Prime Niyongabo said loyalist forces still controlled all strategic points in Burundi.

Nkurunziza's whereabouts are unclear. A Tanzanian official had said he left for Burundi on Wednesday from Tanzania, where he had been for a summit. One security source said he was still in Tanzania after his plane could not fly to Bujumbura as its airport was closed. But there has been no formal announcement.