UNITED24 - Make a charitable donation in support of Ukraine!

Military

voanews.com

Deadly Civil Strife Reported in Burundi Capital
VOA News
13 Jul 2003, 13:43 UTC

As many as 28 rebels were killed and two government soldiers wounded in Burundi during a rebel attack on the capital, Bujumbura.

Government forces say they beat back Sunday morning's attack by ethnic Hutu rebels from the National Liberation Forces.

Insurgents using assault rifles, mortars and grenades attacked the eastern neighborhoods of Gihosha, Mutanga and Gatoke before loyalist troops forced them out.

Military officials say some of the fighting took place near the Vice-President's house.

On Saturday, the government said it had beaten back another rebel assault on Bujumbura that began last Monday. The violence claimed more than 100 lives and forced thousands to fle etheir homes.

The National Liberation Forces say they want to force the ethnic-Tutsi-dominated army to negotiate with them.

The insurgents do not recognize an inter-ethnic, power-sharing government created in November 2001. That government was set up in hopes of ending a 10-year civil war that may have claimed as many as 300,000 lives.

Some information for this report provided by AP, Reuters and AFP.



NEWSLETTER
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list