Burundi Army launches Operation to Dislodge Rebels Near Capital

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, November 27, 2001

Burundi Army launches Operation to Dislodge Rebels Near Capital

Burundi government troops launched a major operation Monday to dislodge rebels from their stronghold in Tenga, northeast of the capital, according to a report from Bujumbura on Monday.

Burundi government troops launched a major operation Monday to dislodge rebels from their stronghold in Tenga, northeast of the capital, according to a report from Bujumbura on Monday.

Military spokesman Colonel Augustin Nzabampema was quoted as saying that the operation in the dense Tenga forest "follows repeated rebel incursions in the outskirts of the capital."

Hutu rebels of the National Liberation Forces, who are well entrenched in the forest that lies six kilometers from Bujumbura, have attacked eastern areas of the city four times over the last month.

Fifteen people, most of them civilians, were killed.

Tenga forest borders on Bujumbura's northern district of Kinama, which, like other parts of the capital, is a frequent target of rebel attacks.

In December last year, some 300 people were killed in clashes in Tenga.