Govt condemns Burundi attack
2003-09-13 16:10
Johannesburg - The government said on Saturday it is "outraged" at the killing of 19 civilians by unidentified gunmen in Burundi earlier in the week.
The government urged parties involved in the conflict to act with restraint and adhere to ceasefire agreements signed last year, the Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said in a statement.
"We call on all parties to remain committed to the ends of peace, security and stability in order to halt such attacks."
On Thursday, 19 people, most of them school children, were shot and killed by gunmen after they dragged them out of a truck taking them to school.
Another eight were wounded in the attack on Wednesday along a remote stretch of road through the Kibira forest, about 100km north-west of the capital Bujumbura.
Mamoepa said the government was optimistic challenges facing that southern Africa county would be discussed at a regional summit to be attended by South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma in Tanzania on Sunday.
- SAPA