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The Tanzanian army on Wednesday denied press reports that it had exchanged fire with Burundi rebels last week, saying that it had fired only warning shots to make its “presence known to advancing rebels.”
“We did not exchange fire with them,” the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) quoted a defence ministry spokesman as saying. “We only wanted to warn them that we were awake. This came after seeing them approaching our border as if they wanted to get into Tanzania,” he added.
According to ‘The Guardian’ newspaper, Burundian rebels, believed to be members of the Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD) and the PALIPEHUTU, were reportedly fleeing fierce fighting with Burundi government forces in Makamba province in the southeastern part of the country near the border with Tanzania.
CNDD-FDD vehemently denied ‘The Guardian’ report. It said in a statement from Brussels that the exchange was actually between the Tanzanian army and the Tutsi-dominated Burundian army, which was opposed to changes urged by the largely Hutu-dominated rebel movements and enshrined in the Arusha peace plan endorsed by most political groups at the end of August.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
