Thousands displaced by fighting in southeast

Authorities in Rutana Province, southeastern Burundi, on Tuesday received “several thousand” displaced people who had fled from rebels who had occupied their hills, Burundi news agency ABP reported on Tuesday. “Administrative authorities, who are preoccupied with the situation, gathered these people at the Rutana primary school, forcing the school and the Gifunzo college not to conduct the term’s examinations,” ABP said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affaires (UNOCHA) in Burundi on Wednesday confirmed to IRIN that they had received reports of displacement in the Rutana area of an estimated 10,000 people. It said an evaluation of the situation would be undertaken soon.

Net Press had reported last week that “genocidal terrorists” had been seen in Rutana Province. They had attacked Gatereni trading centre in Kinzanza zone of Gitanga commune, south-central Burundi. It said the “terrorists” were also sighted along the Baba and Kabanga ranges of hills, towards Rutovu commune, Bururi Province, southwestern Burundi. Renewed violence in Gitanga commune followed recent large-scale military operations in neighbouring Kayogoro commune, the agency added.