13 bodies fished out of river

2006-11-13 15:28

Bujumbura - About 13 badly mutilated bodies, some with bullet wounds and torture marks, have been fished out of a river in Burundi, said officials on Monday, amid complaints of summary executions.

The bodies were recovered last month in the Rusizi River, along Burundi's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and some said they suspected the grisly deaths might be the work of the country's last active rebel group.

But local officials said villagers were terrified, after the extra judicial executions at a military camp in eastern Muyiga province in July of a number of people suspected of collaborating with the rebels.

Jean Samandari, administrator of the western Mutimbuzi municipality, said the bodies - at least eight of which "bore clear signs of violent death" - were buried in the river bank and others dumped in the water.

He said they all appeared to have been shot and that some were decapitated or dismembered in another way and "almost all of them were tied up".

"We do not know yet who is responsible for these deaths, but I can tell you that residents of the municipality are scared, especially after what happened in Muyiga," said Samandari.

Victims of score-settling

Army spokesperson Adolphe Manirakiza said authorities had not yet been able to identify the bodies, all of which he maintained were likely members of the rebel National Liberation Forces (FNL).

"We think they are victims of score-settling within the ranks of the FNL," he said.

Prosecutors are looking into the killings in Muyiga, where more than 30 people were reported to have disappeared in June and July with only six bodies recovered. Rights groups believed at least 25 are dead.

So far three people, an intelligence office and two soldiers, have been arrested in connection with the Muyiga killings.

Still, President Pierre Nkurunziza's year-old government has been harshly criticised by rights groups for torture and summary executions meted out to those suspected to be FNL sympathisers.

Last week Nkurunziza admitted "isolated" instances of torture, but said in most cases the perpetrators were punished.

The tiny central African nation is emerging from the ruins of 13 years of civil strife that has claimed the lives of about 300 000 people.

- AFP