Video Shows Protesters Beat Up Female Police Officer in Burundi as Election Demonstrations Continue

As lethal unrest in the African nation continues into its third week, police in Burundi today launched tear gas and fired shots amid a crowd of demonstrators, while a group of protesters brutally beat a policewomen before carrying her through the streets of the capital Bujumbura, according to witness reports and video footage from the scene.

Clashes kicked off in the Butarere district of the city on Tuesday, ultimately turning deadly, with reports that members of the police force fired at protesters, reportedly killing at least one women. A grenade in another part of the city killed two others, Reuters reported, although it was not clear if these individuals were demonstrators.

Video that emerged Tuesday shows dozens of men, some wielding knives, surrounding a female police officer as she sits on a curb in Butarere. One man yanks her up repeatedly by the collar of her shirt, exposing her stomach as she shrieks. The men then carry her face down by her arms and legs through the streets before running into a line of police men who retrieve their colleague. Protesters then chase after the officers.

Related: Hundreds of Women March in Defiance of Burundi's Ban on Protests

The Burundian police force has been at odds with the demonstrators, frequently clashing with masses gathered in the streets of Bujumbura since the unrest began on April 26, in response to President Pierre Nkurunziza decision to run for a third term in office in the country's June elections. Burundi's constitution, shaped by the Arusha Peace Agreement that ended 12 years of ethnically charged civil war in the country, set a strict two-term limit for the office of president.

Nkurunziza, a 51-year-old former rebel leader, was appointed to office by the country's parliament in 2005 as a transitional leader following the end of the war. His supporters claim he is eligible to seek another term because he was not elected by a popular vote when he first took office.

Police have reportedly detained at least 600 people since the protests began, and latest figures indicate as many as 22 people may have died in clashes so far, although police continue to deny killing any demonstrators in the past 16 days. As the situation escalated last week, protester began to wage increasingly violent attacks on suspected members of the feared pro-government Imbonerakure youth militia, with reports that a lynch mob set a man on fire.

Related: In Photos: Masked Protesters Face Off with Burundi Police as Anti-Government Demonstrations Rage On

Seen in— Daniel Finnan (@Daniel_Finnan)May 12, 2015

Today's violence follows Belgium's announcement on Monday that it had suspended $2.2 million in election aid to Burundi, a serious blow to the polling process in the landlocked former Belgian colony that sits between Rwanda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Belgium's International Development Minister Alexander De Croco said the planned aid is being slashed due to the current violent circumstances, and noted that "conditions for free elections have not been met at the moment." Belgium provides the largest source of financial backing for Burundi's elections, with the European nation having already doled out $2.2 million in electoral aid for the upcoming vote.

As clashes continue in the nation's capital, tens of thousands of Burundians have fled the small nation, which is approximately the size of Vermont, and crossed into neighboring countries. To date, over 50,000 Burundians are estimated to have sought refuge outside of the country since the protests began.

When taking Burundi's history of civil war into account, this rapid mass exodus is not surprising, especially amid the currently poor economic conditions in what is one of the poorest countries on the world. Globally, Burundi ranks near the bottom in World Bank rankings when it comes to the country's gross domestic product. The global financial institution puts the country at 162 out of 192 countries included in its tally.

The thousands of asylum seekers who have reportedly made their way into Western Tanzania, however, caught many off guard — particularly with a large portion landing in the Tanzanian village of Kagunga as they wait to board a ferry that will take them to the country's Kigoma district, where they hope to access refugee services.

— UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees)May 9, 2015

Kagunga is merely a way station, but the village is not equipped to handle refugees. With no shelter or latrine options, many resort to urinating and defecating in or around the nearby lake, which is also an active water source for the asylum seekers. An estimated 11,000 people are waiting on the shores of Kagunga to make the trek to Kigoma, which can only be made via a single boat with a capacity of 600 people, which is only capable of making one round trip journey each day.

As the 16th day of demonstrations comes to a close on Tuesday — more than a month out from the June 26 election — the African Union, regional leaders like South African President Jacob Zuma and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, and both the European Union and United States, have all called on Nkurunziza to either delay elections or withdraw his name from the ballot. But Nkurunziza has remained firmly committed to seeking a third term as head of state, refusing to drop out of the election and claiming that delaying the vote would cause the situation to further deteriorate. He has assured citizens, however, that if he wins this election, it will be his last run for president.

Related: 'The President Will Go to the Hague': Protests Escalate in Burundi

Follow Kayla Ruble on Twitter: @RubleKB