One dies in army clash with ex-rebel group

A combatant loyal to a former rebel movement in Burundi died and two others were reported missing following a clash on Wednesday between a group of the former rebels and the army in the northwestern province of Cibitoke. The spokesman of the Burundian army, Maj Adolphe Manirakiza, said the combatant died after a shootout ensued when soldiers, who were returning from an operation against the Forces nationales de liberation (FNL) rebels loyal to Agathon Rwasa, returned to their post and found it occupied by ex-fighters loyal to the leader of another FNL faction, Alain Mugabarabona. However, a spokesman for Mugabarabona's FNL, Charles Kabagambe, disputed Manirakiza's version of events, saying the soldiers attacked their men at their Mpinga stronghold. He said two of the former combatants were missing. The fighting forced civilians to flee to the centre of Kigazi. Mugabarabona's FNL was formerly known as FNL-Palipehutu. Along with the Conseil national pour la defense de la démocratie-Forces pour la defense de la démocratie (CNDD-FDD) faction led by Jean-Bosco Ndayikengurukiye, Mugabarabona signed the ceasefire agreement with the transitional government of Burundi on 7 December 2002 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Ndayikengurukiye's CNDD-FDD has since changed its name to Kaze-FDD. Mugabarabona's and Ndayikengurukiye's factions were the first rebel movements to pre-cantone their combatants at Muyange-Buramata in the western province of Bubanza. The larger CNDD-FDD faction, led by Pierre Nkurunziza, signed a power sharing agreement with the government on 16 November 2003 and has been incorporated into the government. Only Rwasa's FNL remains outside the transitional process, it has refused to sign a ceasefire agreement with the government.