35 killed in Burundi clashes with rebel group
1 Jan 2015 10:09 PM GMT
At least 35 people are now confirmed to have been killed in clashes between Burundi’s army and members of an unidentified rebel group near the Democratic Republic of Congo border, an official said on Wednesday.
“We’ve so far recovered 34 bodies of attackers. On our side, we have lost one soldier,” a top Burundian army official told AFP, the day after the rebel group launched the attack on the central African nation.
“The security forces are still combing the area where there was fighting and the valleys where the members of this armed group are hiding,” he added. Several residents of the area, however, said they believed the toll on the government side was higher, with at least five soldiers reported to have been killed. Burundian officials and witnesses said the group of around 200 rebels crossed into Cibitoke province north of the capital Bujumbura overnight Monday.
They crossed into the country from DRCongo’s eastern Kivu region, a chronically unstable and resource-rich area that is home to dozens of rebel groups.
“We’ve so far recovered 34 bodies of attackers. On our side, we have lost one soldier,” a top Burundian army official told AFP, the day after the rebel group launched the attack on the central African nation.
“The security forces are still combing the area where there was fighting and the valleys where the members of this armed group are hiding,” he added. Several residents of the area, however, said they believed the toll on the government side was higher, with at least five soldiers reported to have been killed. Burundian officials and witnesses said the group of around 200 rebels crossed into Cibitoke province north of the capital Bujumbura overnight Monday.
They crossed into the country from DRCongo’s eastern Kivu region, a chronically unstable and resource-rich area that is home to dozens of rebel groups.
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