BUJUMBURA, Burundi — Scores of students crawled under the gates and scaled the walls protecting the United States Embassy complex here on Thursday in a desperate attempt to escape from the local police, who had moved in to clear their street encampment and clamp down on antigovernment protests.

With United States Marines watching from the roof of an embassy building, the Burundi police had little choice but to stand by as about 200 students made it safely to the embassy parking lot, which is regarded as diplomatically protected property beyond the reach of the local authorities.

As night fell, there were conflicting accounts about how many students were on embassy property, their precise whereabouts in the complex, and whether they would be given protection. State Department officials in Washington said that about 100 students had left the parking lot peacefully.