BURUNDI 16/7/2004 11:14 FNL REBELS ATTACK SOUTH OF BUJUMBURA General, Brief At least 15 people were killed in an attack by the rebels of the FNL (National Liberation Front) in the southern zone of the Burundian capital of Bujumbura. As reported yesterday by local and international press sources, based on testimonies, the attack was conducted in the town of Mukike, 40km south of Bujumbura, in an area largely presided by the FNL. The FNL is the last rebel group (prevalently Hutu) active in Burundi, where a civil war broke out in 1993 resulting in the death of 300,000 people, based on the most reliable estimates. Following the signing of a peace accord in November 2004 between the âhistoricâ rebellion, the FDD (Forces for the Defence of Democracy), and government, the FNL remained the only armed formation in activity. In the past the FNL always refused to take part in negotiations with the government, which instead consented the entry of the FDD in the government of national unity of Bujumbura. Carlyn McAskie, the new UN representative for operations in Burundi, will meet in the next days in Nairobi (Kenya) with representatives of the rebel group. [BO]
