Itaba massacre

The Itaba massacre was according to Amnesty International the "massacre of between 173 and 267 unarmed civilians, many of them women, children and the elderly, who were deliberately and unlawfully killed in Itaba commune, Gitega province (Burundi) on 9 September 2002". [ [http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engafr160052003 Burundi: No justice for victims of the Itaba massacre | Amnesty International ] ] The killings were carried out by members of the armed forces of Burundi. [ [http://www.xaviermissionaries.org/M_Life/NewsArchive/AfricaNews/Bur_ItabaShock.htm Itaba Massacre: Shocked at Silence over the News ] ]

The Burundian authorities blamed the deaths on cross fire between government forces and the Counseil National pour la Defense de la Democracie - Forces pour la Defense de la Democracie (CNDD-FDD). Human rights groups have stated that civilians were deliberately targeted. [ [http://www.grandslacs.net/doc/2561.pdf Burundi : No justice for victims of the Itaba massacre ] ]

In 2002, the European Union called for an independent inquiry into the killings after criticising the judicial proceedings of a military court which found two officers guilty of failing to obey orders. They were sentenced to four months in prison, and released, having already served that time since their arrest. [ [http://www.publicinternationallaw.org/docs/PNW3/PNW.11March_03.htm Peace Negotiations Watch ] ]

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