Heavy fighting continues in Bujumbura

Heavy fighting between government soldiers and rebels continued north of the capital Bujumbura throughout the day on Monday, leaving civilians dead in the streets, Burundi radio reported on Tuesday. “People fleeing the area said the rebels were taking up positions in abandoned houses less than 10 miles from the capital and were firing on government positions,” the radio said. A senior commander of the rebel Forces nationales de liberation (FNL), responsible for the fighting, told news organisations “this is the beginning of a huge offensive on all of Bujumbura”. “We are advancing and we are going to take the town,” he said. The army however contends it is repulsing the rebels, who are said to number 7,000. According to military sources, the rebels were being driven back from the suburbs of Kinama, Kamenge and Cibitoke which they first attacked overnight on Saturday. Residents of Bujumbura told IRIN on Tuesday there was an enhanced military presence in the city, but otherwise it was “business as usual”. Fierce fighting was still underway in the northern areas on Tuesday, they said.

The number of dead so far has been put at 32, with 25 wounded registered in the hospitals. But, as local sources told IRIN on Tuesday, the fighting is preventing many casualties from being transported to hospitals and the toll may be much higher. According to official figures, some 30,000 people have been displaced and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected areas is proving very difficult. The army has warned residents in these areas to leave their homes while it flushes out rebels believed to be hiding among the population.