Army found responsible for Itaba massacre

The human rights advocacy organisation Amnesty International says the Burundi government has acknowledged that the army was responsible for the recent massacre of over 170 civilians in Itaba, central Gitega province. Speaking from Bujumbura on Thursday, AI Secretary General Irene Khan told IRIN that President Pierre Buyoya and Vice President Domitien Ndayizeye had both confirmed that the army was found to be responsible, following an investigation led by the interior minister and the army chief of staff. Buyoya and Ndayizeye had also guaranteed that those responsible, including those who gave orders for the massacre, would be prosecuted "soon", but declined to specify when, she said. "All of those killed were civilians, including women and children," said Khan, adding that it appeared to have been a "cold-blooded, deliberate act of killing". The national human rights organisation, Iteka, quoted Burundi army spokesman Augustin Nzabampema as saying the massacre was "an isolated incident" and should not be held against the entire army. He conceded that "errors of judgement" had taken place and that a military and judicial inquiry would be undertaken to establish responsibility for the killings. "There were some mistakes of judgement at the command level, therefore we shall carry out investigations," Nzabampema was quoted as saying. The massacre occurred on 9 September but was only made public several days later. "Some people, including human rights activists and parliamentarians, say the delay occurred due to the active efforts of the army to hinder investigations," Khan told IRIN. She added that the site of the massacre was still closed by the army, which claimed it could not guarantee the safety of anyone in the area. "The massacre in Itaba is an illustration of the problems in Burundi, it is the tip of the iceberg," said Khan, adding that the numbers of civilians deliberately killed by the army had increased in recent months.