Mass grave discovery reported in Bujumbura

More than 200 bodies are reported to have now been found in mass graves in the northern suburb of Kinama in the Burundi capital Bujumbura, according to news organisations. Most of the bodies were of young men, some in military uniforms, according to Reuters news agency. Kinama was the site of the heaviest fighting between the Burundi army and rebel FNL fighters who entrenched themselves in the suburb during an intensive onslaught on Bujumbura in late February and early March.

Unexploded ordnances (UXOs) are still reported to be a danger in Kinama, especially for children, as humanitarian agencies continue to address food, shelter, water and sanitation needs of displaced people and returnees to the suburb, according to OCHA. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Burundi Ministry of Health have both underlined the importance of re-establishing health services in Kinama.

WHO continues to monitor outbreaks of cholera and reported a total 120 registered cholera cases in Bujumbura up to 18 March since the latest outbreak of fighting in the capital in late February. The army said on Sunday that "low-intensity clashes" were continuing with the FNL rebels in the hills above Bujumbura, and with FDD rebels in Ruyigi and Rutana provinces in the east of the country, the Burundi news agency reported.