Hutu leaders condemn rebels

Leaders of the Group of Seven Hutu parties (G-7), allied under what is known as the Moshi Group, have "strongly condemned" rebels for continuing attacks on civilians and other non-military targets, a local news agency, Net Press, reported on Tuesday.

In a communique, released after Hutu rebels shelled the some sections of the capital, Bujumbura, on Monday, G-7 President Gaetan Nikobamye termed the actions "criminal acts by genocidal terrorist groups". He accused them of assassinating civilians in ambushes along the nation's highways, saying this and other actions constituted "war crimes and crimes against humanity".

Nikobamye urged the government and the justice minister to prepare files on "these numerous crimes" so that the "perpetrators of these criminal acts" could be brought to trial.

Reuters reported that the rebels shelled high-density districts of Bujumbura on Monday, wounding 15 people. Some seven kilometres northwest of the capital, rebels fired 11 Katyusha rockets on Maramvya, a zone in Mutimbuzi commune, Bujumbura Rurale Province. Government forces responded immediately and the guns fell silent, the government military spokesman, Col Augustin Nzabampema, told reporters on Monday. He called on civilians to remain calm because the sole aim of the rebels was to cause panic.

In a briefing on the security situation in the country, he said although the rebels were still active in the provinces of Gitega, Karusi and Kayanza, they were much weaker. He said they were operating in small groups now so that they could hide better and avoid contact with the army, according to Net Press.