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At least 21 civilians were killed during fighting between government forces and rebels on 6 April in the town of Gihanga, in the northwestern province of Bubanza, Burundi, local human rights organisation Iteka confirmed to IRIN on Friday.
The confirmation follows a news item issued by Iteka on 13 April, in which they reported an estimated total of 38 people dead - 29 civilians, seven rebels and two government soldiers. Having been informed of a rebel presence in Gihanga, government troops reportedly entered the town around five in the morning of 6 April. After surrounding a home where rebels were believed to be hiding, shots were fired from within, unleashing a fierce gunfight and resulting in the high death toll, Iteka reported.
On 1 November 2001, a three-year transitional national government was inaugurated in Burundi following eight years of civil war between Hutu rebels and the predominantly Tutsi military. The war has claimed the lives of an estimated 250,000 Burundians, most of them civilians, and has resulted in the displacement of still greater numbers of people.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
