Rights body expresses concern over the displaced

The human rights body Amnesty International on Tuesday expressed concern that the tens of thousands of civilians displaced by the violence are without basic humanitarian assistance. "We call on Burundi's military and civilian authorities to do their utmost to ensure that the necessary humanitarian aid is now provided," a statement from the organisation said.

It, however, welcomed the efforts made so far by the Burundian military and the armed opposition to safeguard civilian life during the recent fighting in Bujumbura, which enabled most civilians to flee the immediate areas of conflict. Amnesty urged both the army and the FNL to continue to protect civilian life. "Both forces have previously committed gross human rights abuses against civilians," it said.

Amnesty noted that the situation in Bujumbura remained "extremely tense" and that the government had called on the population to remain vigilant and to assist in self-defence. "The authorities must ensure that such calls do not lead to further indiscriminate violence against civilians," it added. It drew attention to continued violence on central and southern Burundi, and called on another armed opposition group, the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie - Forces pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD) to respect international humanitarian law fully and to stop attacking civilians.

"Amnesty International continues to receive reports of abuses against civilians by the CNDD-FDD, in particular of rape and killings. If further abuses are to be prevented, the CNDD-FDD leadership must publicly condemn such abuses and hold its combatants accountable," it said.
[for further details, go to: www.amnesty.org]