Rebel attack kills 4 in Burundi
2004-12-28 21:09
Bujumbura - A Burundi army spokesperson said on Tuesday a soldier and three rebels died overnight in an attack by the National Liberation Forces (FNL) guerrillas on a military base just outside the capital.
The spokesperson, Major Adolphe Manirakiza, said four government soldiers were injured.
However other non-official sources said the army had been taken completely by surprise, and had lost more men than the figure acknowledged by the spokesperson.
The Hutu FNL are the last rebel group still operating in Burundi, a country slowly emerging from an 11-year civil war that has taken more than 300 000 lives.
The government said the rebels are confined to one of the country's 17 provinces, Bujumbura rural, near the capital, and have moved their operational headquarters across the Ruzizi River in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Government refuses to negotiate
The sound of small arms and powerful explosions could be heard across Bujumbura for more than an hour.
It was the first time in more than six months that an attack had taken places so close to the capital.
Manirakiza said: "We think the FNL wanted to show that they still exist, above all during this holiday period, but I can assure you that we are ready for them."
The rebels have been defined as a terrorist group by countries in the region after they claimed responsibility for the massacre of 160 Tutsi refugees in Burundi in August, and the government here has refused to negotiate with them.
Another Hutu group that formerly opposed the peace process, the Forces for the Defence of Democracy has joined the government and is taking part in joint operations with the army against the FNL.
- SAPA