BURUNDI: Army denies responsibility for Gitega massacre

BUJUMBURA, 20 September 2002 (IRIN) - The Burundi army has denied responsibility for the massacre of over 170 people in central Gitega province, saying it had been "deliberately misquoted". Army spokesman Colonel Augustin Nzabampema told IRIN on Friday rebel fighters were "fully responsible" for the massacre which occurred on 9 September. And a statement issued by government spokesman Albert Mbonerane said the authorities "categorically denied the allegations of Agence France Presse (AFP)" which quoted Nzabempema as saying "173 people were shot by army elements". Speaking to IRIN, Nzabampema denied ever acknowledging that the army was responsible. The rebels were to blame, he said, because they had "abused the people's trust" by telling civilians the hills of Kanyonga and Kagoma in Gitega Province had been set aside as a rebel regroupment area in accordance with the Arusha peace agreement. "We waited for four days before launching the operations in order to allow them [civilians] to leave the combat zones. The responsibility for those who were killed lies squarely on rebel shoulders," Nzabampema added. He said the army's policy was that people should always flee whenever they saw rebels and the army would be careful to make sure there were no civilians remaining in the area. "If there are some remaining, the nature of the operations changes," he told IRIN. "Ways to fight rebels alone, and rebels mixed with civilians are not the same." On Thursday, Tharcisse Ntibarirarana, the chairman of the commission charged with investigating the massacre who is also the governor of Gitega Province, said results of the investigations showed 173 people had been killed (183 was the figure originally reported). He added that responsibility was shared between the rebels, who had misled the people to keep them in the area, and civilians who had not heeded the call to leave. In his statement, government spokesman Albert Mbonerane said the killings had occurred during a largescale army operation in the Kanyonga and Kagoma hills against the rebel group, Conseil National pour la Defense de la Democratie/Forces pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD). He said those killed had not followed orders given by the local administration and the army to evacuate the area, and the rebels had taken them "hostage". The victims had been killed by gunfire and bombs, or had died in their burning houses, he said. He added that the government would continue to investigate the matter in order to discover "the truth" and to understand "the silence" surrounding the killings, which were reported days after they occurred.