An aide to Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza was killed in an attack on his car on Sunday.
Gen Adolphe Nshimirimana, a former army chief of staff and intelligence chief, was targeted by armed men in the capital Bujumbura's Kamenge district.
The general is reported to have been in charge of the president's security and responsible for a heavy-handed crackdown on demonstrations opposed to Mr Nkurunziza's decision to run for an unconstitutional third term.
Presidential adviser Willy Nyamitwe told Reuters: "He has been killed by a bullet... He was in the car with some bodyguards but I don't know exactly what happened."
The violence continued on Monday, with prominent rights activist Pierre Claver Mbonimpa also attacked in Bujumbura. Mr Mbonimpa, a stern critic of the president, was shot and seriously wounded by gunmen on motorbikes.
"He was going home when suddenly a group of motorcyclists encircled him and started shooting at him. Many of the bikers had guns," a relative told Reuters. Mr Mbonimpa remains in intensive care.