Burundi security forces kill 14 armed men from DR Congo in Musigati

Burundi security forces killed at least 14 armed men, on October 22, who had crossed into the northwestern region from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The armed men, who reportedly entered the province at dawn, were killed in the district of Musigati, the state broadcaster reported quoting police deputy spokesman Moise Nkurunziza.

Intended to repeat the 'carnage of Ruhagarika'

According to the police, the armed men were planning to launch an attack in the northwestern province of Bubanza. Police believe that the intention of the armed men was to repeat 'the carnage of Ruhagarika'. Last year, At least 26 people were killed and seven were injured in an attack by unidentified armed men on Ruhagarika Hill of Buganda Commune in the Cibitoke Province.

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Journalists arrested from the area

Burundi’s domestic news website said that their four reporters along with the driver were arrested in Musigati and are currently detained at the provincial police station of Bubanza. Recently, the United Nations, in a report, said that serious human rights violations have continued to be committed in Burundi since May 2018. It said that the human rights violations are essentially political in nature, and the suppression of civil liberties is intensifying in the run-up to next year’s presidential and legislative elections. The report said that the crisis has been ongoing for more than four years, with no real prospects for a resolution and 2020 elections pose a major risk.

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UNHRC office closed in Burundi

In October 2016, the state authorities suspended all cooperation with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) which led to the closure of the UN Human Rights Office in Burundi.

“It is with deep regret that we have had to close our office in Burundi after a 23-year presence in the country,” said Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Our reports on the human rights situation in Burundi have always been developed in a constructive spirit, intended to support the promotion and protection of human rights in the country. But I am disappointed by Burundi’s lack of cooperation in recent years with UN human rights mechanisms,” Bachelet added.

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(With Inputs from Agencies)