Nairobi - Hutu rebels and former Congolese government troops attacked a village and military camp near Bujumbura airport in Burundi yesterday killing 150 people, a military commander said. Col Jean-Bosco Daradangwe told Reuters by telephone from Bujumbura that the death toll could rise as many more people had life-threatening wounds.
Col Daradangwe said government troops, taken by surprise, engaged the rebels in an hour-long battle, killing many. Documents found on dead rebels indicated they originated from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"They attacked early this morning at around at 4 a.m. They killed 150 people in the village and injured many more before our troops moved in to engage them," he said. "This is the biggest attack we have ever had. The attacking force according to our estimates numbered between 1,000 and 2,000." Burundi's Tutsi-dominated army and Hutu rebels have been fighting each other for a greater political stake in the tiny tea and coffeegrowing nation.
