Belgium warned Burundian president Pierre Nkurunziza on Thursday that it would cut off aid to his government if he went ahead with his bid for a third term in office.
The Belgian government "expresses the hope that President Nkurunziza will renounce a third term," the foreign ministry said in a statement after a cabinet meeting in Brussels.
More than 20 people have been killed in almost a month of unrest in former Belgian colony Burundi, including a failed coup. The struggle to stop Nkurunziza seeking a third term risks re-opening old wounds between the country's Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups.
"A third term would deal a serious blow to the legitimacy of the Burundian government," the Belgian foreign ministry said, adding that in such a case it would review its aid to focus on strengthening democratic forces in the country, " and would make the completion of the bilateral programme impossible".
Belgium's development aid for Burundi in 2013 was just under 50 million euros ($55.7 million), most of it going directly to the state.
The decision came as one protester was shot dead in Burundi's capital Bujumbura Thursday, the latest victim of the unrest in which more than 20 people have died.
Belgium is the biggest bilateral aid donor to its former colony Burundi, with only the European Union and World Bank providing more support.
Earlier this month, Belgium suspended aid for elections in Burundi as well as police cooperation which also involved the Netherlands.
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