Gatumba

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The village of Gatumba lies on the western side of Burundi, near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The place is known for a massacre that took place at a refugee camp connected to the village.

Massacre

On August 13 2004, a refugee camp in Gatumba was the scene of one of the largest civilian carried out in Burundi in recent years. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3564358.stm
title=Tutsis massacred in Burundi camp
date=14 August 2004
accessdate=2008-02-08
publisher=BBC News]

A force of armed combatants, many of them members of the Forces for National Liberation (FNL), massacred at least 152 Congolese civilians and wounded another 106. The FNL is a predominantly Hutu rebel movement known for its hostility to Tutsi and the victims were largely Banyamulenge, a group often categorized with Tutsi. The FNL is believed to have been behind a series of other attacks, including the December 28 2000 Titanic Express massacre.

Brigadier-General Germain Niyoyankana, head of the Burundian army, accused Congolese troops of complicity in the killings. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3572186.stm
title=DR Congo army 'massacred Tutsis'
date=17 August 2004
accessdate=2008-02-08
publisher=BBC News]

Following the FNL's admission of responsibility for the Gatumba massacre, the Burundian government issued arrest warrants for the group's leader Agathon Rwasa, and declared their intention to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court. The United Nations issued a resolution condemning the attack, and the African Union declared the FNL a terrorist organisation. No arrests have yet been made.

FNL statement

In October 2005, the FNL issued a statement condemning the Gatumba massacre, denouncing Agathon Rwasa for leading a "descent into hell", and announcing that he had been replaced. Rwasa was reported to have fled to Tanzania.

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3564358.stm BBC report on Gatumba]
* [http://hrw.org/backgrounder/africa/burundi/2004/0904/ Human Rights Watch report on Gatumba]
* [http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/sc8258.doc.htm UN Resolution 1577, condemning Gatumba massacre]
* [http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/RMOI-6CX5FS?OpenDocument UN Resolution 1602, reiterating condemnation of Gatumba massacre]
* [http://www.iansa.org/about/pastor_jaques/index.htm IANSA - Condolences for Pastor Jacques Rutekereza, who died in the massacre with six of his children]

References