Witnesses say 12 killed in Burundi ambush
and many others wounded when Burundian rebels ambushed a convoy of vehicles travelling towards the capital Bujumbura on Monday, witnesses said. "A large number of rebels attacked 12 vehicles on Monday morning, mostly buses carrying passengers," one of the passengers who escaped the ambush at Kagunuzi, 35 miles (55 km) northwest of Bujumbura, told Reuters. "Twelve passengers were shot dead, many others were injured... (The rebels) stole a lot of money and mobile phones. Many wounded were taken to Bujumbura." The army confirmed there had been a major rebel ambush at Kagunuzi but said it did not know how many people were killed. Army spokesman Colonel Augustin Nzabampema said the army had been chasing rebels from the Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD) near the area. The FDD, one of two main Hutu rebel groups in Burundi that have been fighting the Tutsi-led army since 1993, signed a ceasefire in early December, but another group -- the Forces for National Liberation (FNL) -- did not. Both rebel groups have been blamed for ambushes, cattle raids and armed robberies that have continued across the country since the agreement was signed. "The army is chasing FDD rebels in Mpanda commune northwest of Bujumbura after they took up new positions there last week," Nzabampema said. "The army could not tolerate this, because it is breaking the ceasefire. It is probably FDD rebels who escaped from army attacks who committed the ambush." The war in Burundi has killed an estimated 300,000 people, mostly civilians. Both the army and rebels are accused of indiscriminate killings and thousands of civilians have been forced to flee their homes because of the fighting. In November 2001, a new government sharing power between Tutsis and Hutus was inaugurated under a South African-brokered peace plan, but without an effective ceasefire the government has not been able to stem the violence.
