UN report suggests DRC groups participated in Burundi massacre

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has cited evidence that a Burundian rebel group acted in consort with armed groups from neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) when it carried out a massacre of refugees at Gatumba on the Burundian side of the border. Annan said in his first report on the UN Operation in Burundi (ONUB): "Eyewitnesses reported to ONUB that [the rebel Forces nationales de libération] FNL had actually attacked a nearby FAB (Burundi Armed Forces) base, while Congolese Mayi-Mayi and FDLR (Rwandan [Hutu] ex-FAR/Interahamwe) elements carried out the Gatumba massacre." He said the attackers appeared to target refugees who were Tutsis from the DRC, known as the Banyamulenge, "while refugees of other ethnic groups and repatriated Burundians were left unharmed". He also said the FDLR denied any involvement in the attack. A joint MONUC/ONUB team began an investigation on 16 August to establish the facts. The massacre has increased regional tensions and threatened to undo the DRC's fragile transitional coalition government. Various Banyamulenge leaders have accused leaders in Kinshasa of complicity. One of the DRC's vice-presidents, Azarias Ruberwa, who is Tutsi, temporarily suspended his participation in the government. South African President Thabo Mbeki has come to Kinshasa to mediate. "The Gatumba massacre and reports of a possible alliance between FNL and Rwandan and Congolese armed groups is a worrying development not only for Burundi but also for the entire subregion," Annan said.