Renewed violence hits Burundi

Barely a week after the signing of the Arusha peace accord, renewed fighting was reported on several fronts in Burundi on Tuesday. Reuters quoted the defence ministry as saying Hutu rebels had killed two children and injured dozens of others when they attacked two minibuses in southern Burundi. The attack, which was not confirmed by independent sources, was reported to have taken place near the Tanzanian border. The state-run news agency, ABP, meanwhile reported that rebels had also attacked outposts near the capital on Monday, killing two civilians and injuring another two.

Two armed Hutu rebel groups did not sign last week’s deal in northern Tanzania, brokered by talks’ facilitator Nelson Mandela, and backed by the Group of Nine Hutu political parties and finally six mainly Tutsi ones.