Burundi's patchwork army faces test to keep the peace

BUJUMBURA - When protesters in Burundi cheer for soldiers who turn up at demonstrations against the president's bid for a third term, it is redolent of uprisings further north in Africa where the military was hailed as friend not foe.

But deploying the army on the streets of Burundi may carry higher stakes than when generals intervened in Cairo and Tunis in 2011 and Ougadougou in 2014 to turf out veteran leaders.