BURUNDI: RADIO REPORTS OF A MASSACRE AT KAJAGA VILLAGE

Описание: (26 Jan 1998) English/Nat

Burundi radio reported on Saturday that a family of seven had been massacred at Kajaga village near Bujumbura.

Unfortunately, these kind of massacres are commonplace in this African nation where human rights officials put the death toll in its civil war at 150-thousand people since 1993.

Like neighbouring Rwanda, tiny Burundi is torn apart by tribal strife, pitting the Tutsi, who control the government and the military against the Hutu, who comprise the majority of the population.

To take a look around Burundi's capital of Bujumbura, one would have no idea a civil war is raging in the hills above the city.

But, since 1993, a war has claimed the lives of 150-thousand people, with Hutu rebels making repeated attacks on the Tutsi army and citizens in capital city.

Burundian President Pierre Buyoya came into power in coup in 1996, unseating sitting President Sylvestre Npibantunganya.

The coup has brought economic sanctions by east African nations which still aren't lifted due to the unstable human rights situation there.

Although Buyoya has renounced violence and resigned his position in the army, his peculiar actions like rejecting the Tanzanian initiative for Peace for his own peace plan have puzzled seasoned Africa watchers.

The former army major sounds like a dove in interviews.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Our hope is to make progress in the peace process...maybe to come to a cease fire, maybe to come to a consensus of a new political management of the country.
SUPER CAPTION: Pierre Buyoya, President of Burundi

Burundian troops, like the ones manning this checkpoint, have been accused of human rights violations much like the Hutu rebels they're fighting.

The troops are trying to project a new image, like protecting these Hutu citizens.

These Hutu, who work in the capital, may have the most dangerous commute in Africa - they live in the hills above Bujumbura where the brunt of the fighting is.

They're constantly caught in the cross fire or targeted by the warring factions in this conflict.

The Buyoya government has reinforced checkpoints, even having soldiers ride with commuters to help quell the violence.

The soldiers' mission is two pronged: to protect citizens and check vehicles for weapons and other illegal goods.

Due to recent fighting, 9-thousand Burundians, mostly Hutu, have been displaced by fighting.

The displaced go to Camp Johnson, a camp run by an eccentric elderly American named Johnson who does not give interviews.

Without facilities like Camp Johnson, many of the Burundians displaced by the fighting would have nowhere else to go.

If there's anything positive to report, the economy is thriving, despite sanctions from other east African nations.

The central market in Bujumbura is full of food; cash seems to be changing hands.

The only goods the embargo seems to be keeping out are medicine and clothing.

Some Africa watchers thought the economic sanctions would bring Burundi to its knees, but this hasn't happened.

But, whether or not Burundi explodes with the tribal violence that plagued neighbouring Rwanda is still anyone's guess.

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