At Least 515 Rebels Killed by Burundi Army in 4 Weeks

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, December 26, 2001

At Least 515 Rebels Killed by Burundi Army in 4 Weeks

A total of 515 rebels and 28 government soldiers have been killed in the past four weeks in an offensive by Burundi's army against Hutu rebel stronghold in Tenga near Bujumbura, according to a report reaching here on Tuesday.

The report quoted General Major Samuel Gahiro as saying during a guided tour of the area for journalists, "Tenga has been definitively liberated."

The army launched the offensive on November 27 to flush out Hutu rebels of the National Liberation Forces (FNL) from the dense Tenga forest area, six kilometers northeast of the capital.

Tenga has always been a haven for the FNL, which has used it as a springboard for its attacks on districts of the nearby capital and for logistics.

Fighting between ethnic Hutu rebels and the Tutsi-dominated army has flared across Burundi since the inauguration of a new government on November 1, aimed at kickstarting a peace process to end the country's eight-year war.

The new cabinet shares power between the majority Hutu and the Tutsi, a minority who have traditionally dominated the political arena, but rebel groups have refused to recognize its authority, saying real power still lies with the Tutsi-led army.

Hutu rebels have been fighting Burundi's Tutsi-led army since 1993. More than 250,000 people have been killed.