Rebels said to be regrouping, renewed fighting

Rebels of the Forces nationales de liberation (FNL) are reportedly regrouping in Bujumbura Rurale after being dislodged from the capital, Bujumbura, by the army, the private news agency Azania said. It said they had withdrawn to the “Tenga-Kamenge-Kivoge triangle”. According to Azania, the Tenga zone was occupied by rebels, who were intending to ambush the Bujumbura-Bugarama road, with their command post in Rushubi. Furthermore, three rebel contingents were said to be moving from neighbouring DRC towards the northwestern Burundian provinces of Cibitoke and Bubanza, heading for the Zina mountain range.
Renewed fighting broke out in Bujumbura on Wednesday, news organisations reported. According to the BBC, residents said there was gunfire in the north of the city as the army continued its mopping-up operations against FNL rebels. AFP quoted local officials as saying more than 160 bodies were found in Kinama on Tuesday. “We found three communal graves, which had been hastily covered up,” one official said.