Massacre reports “exaggerated”

Rwanda has dismissed as propaganda reports that its soldiers were involved in an alleged massacre in South Kivu. Reuters news agency cited local residents who arrived in Uvira from Magunga, near Baraka, as saying about 100 Banyamulenge villagers there were killed by Mayi-Mayi warriors “in the pay” of Rwandan soldiers. Rwandan radio said the Kigali government blamed a disaffected faction of the Banyamulenge for the allegations. Humanitarian sources in Uvira told IRIN today (Wednesday) that while there was a Mayi-Mayi attack on Magunga over the weekend, they believed the reported death toll to be exaggerated. Initial reports indicated that four people had died and dozens of houses were burnt. Reuters, which was unable to verify the massacre reports, quoted residents as claiming the Rwandan soldiers had fallen out with their Banyamulenge allies. The Uvira sources, while acknowledging there were problems between Rwandan and Banyamulenge soldiers in Uvira, told IRIN however it was very unlikely the Rwandans would seek the services of the Mayi-Mayi. The sources added that the so-called Mayi-Mayi in South Kivu were now largely made up of Rwandan Interahamwe militia and Burundi rebels from the Forces de defense pour la democratie (FDD).