First group of rebel fighters cantoned

The first group of 22 fighters of the Forces Nationales de Liberation (FNL) rebel faction led by Alain Mugabarabona were cantoned on Thursday at Muyange, 30 km northwest of the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, a military official told IRIN. The commander of the African Union (AU) unit guarding the cantonment site, Maj Piet Meiring, said only 10 of the fighters had guns when they arrived at the camp set aside for them by the AU force, known as the African Mission in Burundi. He said the fighters were accompanied by their commander and FNL Vice-President Leandre Ntahimpera, who monitored their registration. "They came on their own waving a white flag," Meiring said. "Others will be assembled from Monday; we would like them to stay in their pre-assembly areas so that we can bring them to the cantonment zone." A senior FNL official who accompanied the fighters, "Commander" Paul Bugabo, told IRIN that they had come to implement a ceasefire agreement between the faction and the government. "If the army refuses to implement it, we will take up arms again," he said. The FNL had taken up arms because a part of the population was oppressed, he said, in reference to the Hutu. "FNL fighters came first to be cantoned, then afterwards they expect to enter the army which is now dominated by Tutsis," he added. "We want the army, which is the source of all problems Burundi is undergoing, reformed." Cantonment of rebel troops was postponed several times as the combatants demanded that their families be provided with aid. The larger FNL faction, led by Rwasa Agathon, has refused to join the peace process and is yet to sign a ceasefire agreement with the government. Agathon's faction has accused Mugabarabona of delaying the cantonment in order to recruit fighters, a claim that the faction has denied. The Muyange cantonment site is built to accommodate 1,800 FNL combatants and 3,500 from the smaller of the two factions of the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Force pour la defense de la democratie rebel group, led by Jean Bosco Ndayikengurukiye. The Ndayikengurukiye faction has announced that its fighters would be cantoned soon. However, no date was given.