Relief workers attacked

A vehicle from the NGO, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), came under rebel fire on Wednesday afternoon, although there were no injuries. CRS country director David Rothrock told IRIN on Thursday the incident occurred on the main road near Magara, south of Bujumbura. He said it was an ambush that occurs from time to time when rebels drop a tree across the road to attack vehicles, and CRS was not specifically targeted. The driver reversed the vehicle, whereupon the rebels opened fire. “Luckily it was an armoured car which probably saved the lives of the three people inside,” Rothrock added. He said there was no connection whatsoever with the commencement of food distributions by CRS in two camps near the capital. CRS had been approached by WFP to help with distributions in the camps, where there was increasing malnutrition, he explained. The distributions, consisting of cereals, beans and cooking oil, are sufficient to provide 15-day rations for 47,000 people.