Rebels kill 13 in southwest

Rebels have attacked Mutambara sector in Rumonge, southwest Burundi, killing 13 civilians and wounding two, the Burundi news agency ABP reported on Wednesday. Many houses were set ablaze during the attack after which the rebels ambushed an NGO vehicle, injuring its occupant, the news agency said. Meanwhile, reports from Ruziba zone, some 10 km south of Bujumbura, say rebels attempted to attack a military post, but no damage was reported, ABP said. Some of the rebels retreated towards the hills above the Imbo plain as others mingled with the local population. ABP reported on Tuesday that security forces and the local administration, assisted by residents, had regrouped in the surrounding hills to “protect the population against rebel atrocities”.