A UN mission to evaluate Burundi's peace process has cancelled its visit, after a three-day battle between rebels and government troops killed at least 26.
Army spokesman Adolphe Manirakiza said no fighting was reported today, when the UN team had been due to arrive in the tiny central African country.
But the atmosphere was tense in the capital Bujumbura after some of the worst fighting in months. The clashes started on Thursday when Forces for National Liberation (FNL) rebels fired mortar bombs at government positions in Bujumbura, drawing return fire from the military.
"In agreement with Burundi's government, the mission has been delayed to a further date," said Amadou Ousmane, a spokesman for the United Nations' mission in Burundi.
"This is of course linked to the latest events in the country," he added, without saying when the U.N. team would reschedule its visit.
Burundi, a country of 8 million, is emerging from more than a decade of ethnic conflict in which 300,000 people were killed. Despite a 2006 truce, the FNL continues to mount sporadic attacks against the military from its strongholds on the outskirts of the capital.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the latest fighting, saying it "inflicts unnecessary suffering on the civilian population and jeopardizes the implementation of the September 2006 peace agreement".
The clashes also forced Belgian airline SN Brussels to cancel its expected Sunday night flight to Bujumbura.