Six killed in rebel attack near Bujumbura

Six people were killed in a rebel attack near a military camp near the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, on Wednesday, military sources said, according to the Agence burundaise de presse (ABP). The attack occurred in the early hours of the morning in Gatumba zone, 15 km west of the city. The dead included five rebels and the head of the Kinyinya neighbourhood, the agency said. Three soldiers were reported wounded. According to the Associated Press (AP), the rebel Forces nationales de liberation (FNL) took responsibility for the attack. FNL spokesman Anicet Ntawuhiganayo was quoted as saying that the rebels attacked the Gatumba brigade and military camp. “We are looking for guns because President Pierre Buyoya announced in a speech on 1 May that taxes will be raised on certain products [alcohol, sodas, cigarettes and sugar] as a form of war tax,” Ntawuhiganayo said. “This means that he intends to intensify the war and is looking for the means to do so. The war continues.”
Meanwhile, ABP reported increasing rebel attacks in northern Burundi, particularly in areas near the Kibira forest. Kayanza province has been targeted, it said. On Sunday night, the head of Nyabihogo zone and his daughter were killed in a rebel attack, and his brother was reportedly kidnapped. The same night areas of Kabarore commune came under attack, and property was looted. Another two people died in an attack on Rugazi zone, the agency added.