Heavy fighting in Burundi as rebels ignore truce
BUJUMBURA, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Heavy fighting between the Burundian army and Hutu rebels has killed at least four soldiers and sent many civilians fleeing from their homes, the army and rebels said on Thursday.
The fighting involves the two main rebel groups in Burundi, the FDD and FNL, who have been battling the Tutsi-led army since 1993 in a war that has killed some 300,000 people. The FDD has signed a ceasefire, but it has not stuck to the agreement.
An FNL (Forces for National Liberation) spokesman told Reuters a rebel attack on a military position in Mageyo district, 20 miles (32 km) northeast of the capital Bujumbura, killed four soldiers on Wednesday.
"Late on Wednesday afternoon, the army reinforced its position at Gitwe in Mageyo commune, and we concluded that they were preparing an attack against our positions," Pasteur Habimana said.
"So we switched to an offensive and killed four soldiers. Other soldiers ran away."
A military source who did not want to be named confirmed the deaths.
Heavy fighting in Cibitoke province in the northwest of the tiny central African country has also been reported over the past week, between the army and Burundi's largest rebel group, the FDD (Forces for the Defence of Democracy).
"The army has been facing FDD rebels in Murwi and Bukinanyana communes since the beginning of this week," army spokesman Augustin Nzabampema said.
"They tried to occupy some hills in the two communes, but we removed them... It is difficult to know a death toll, because the fighting is ongoing."
FDD rebels have continued to launch attacks on the army and civilians in several parts of the country, despite signing a ceasefire in December. Thousands of people have been displaced, money looted and cattle stolen.
African countries are planning to send a peacekeeping force to Burundi to monitor the ceasefire but analysts say their task will not be easy.
The FDD has shown no signs of respecting the truce it signed in December, while the FNL has so far refused to enter into any agreement.
Two smaller rebel factions have both agreed to halt fighting, but they are not considered to have enough power to seriously influence the drive for peace in Burundi.
