|
Burundi rebels killed in raid
21/01/2008 07:21 - (SA)
Nairobi - Two members of Burundi's last active rebel group have been killed by soldiers in an ambush near the capital, Bujumbura, says the army.
"Two National Liberation Forces fighters were killed overnight on Saturday in Gihanga when they were intercepted by soldiers who had hidden out waiting for them," said a spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Adolphe Manirakiza. Gihanga lies 15km north of Bujumbura.
"Our soldiers were able to retrieve four bicycles and a few sacks of beans that the rebels had stolen from locals," he added.
The apparent purpose of the rebel mission had been to stock up on supplies, he stated. Burundi was struggling to emerge from a civil war that broke out in 1993 and had cost at least 300 000 lives, mostly civilian.
While the NLF rebels and the government signed a ceasefire in September 2006, it had largely been ignored. The rebel group had been calling for fresh talks to break the impasse, a demand rejected by Bujumbura.
|
News
