Reports say the appeal for funds was made on the government's official Facebook page.

Burundi’s government has asked its people to donate money to help with controversial elections scheduled for June, international news agencies report. The reports say the appeal for funds were made on the government's official Facebook page. The plea asks for money “from patriotic citizens to reinforce a culture of democracy based on the choice of the people.” It then gave details of a bank account to put the money directly into.

The government’s plea, media reports say, comes after the European Union said it will withhold more than $2m (£1.3m) of funding for the elections. Money to carry out the elections was already running short as the former colonial power Belgium has also suspended a similar amount to the EU. The EU said it will withhold the money unless “conditions for a free, peaceful and credible election are secured.” In addition, a French diplomat reportedly told AFP news agency that France has suspended its security co-operation with the country.

The parliamentary elections were due to be held on Tuesday but have been delayed by 10 days. Mr Nkurunziza’s critics say the third term contravenes the constitution, which requires him to step down after two terms. Burundi’s Constitutional Court says that Mr Nkurunziza’s first term does not count because he was elected by parliament and not voters.

Meanwhile, Africatime quotes the United Nations as saying that a cholera outbreak raging among Burundian refugees in Tanzania has slowed significantly with no new deaths reported in the past five days. “So far, around 30 people have died and more than 4,400 people have been infected with cholera in the western Tanzania’s Lake Tanganyika area, which has been flooded with people fleeing political unrest in neighbouring Burundi, the UN refugee agency said.

But UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva that the number of daily cases had fallen to around 100 from a peak of 915 on May 18. Last week, the agency reported an average of 300-400 cases daily. “The reduction in cases is largely due to the concerted approach to contain the spread of the outbreak through intensified measures to promote hygiene,” he said.