Rights Group Criticizes Immunity Deal for Combatants in Burundi
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 22, 2003
AIROBI, Kenya, Monday, Dec. 22 (AP) — Human Rights Watch, an international human rights group based in New York, on Monday criticized a peace agreement giving soldiers and rebels temporary immunity from prosecution for atrocities committed against civilians in Burundi's 10-year civil war.
More than 200,000 people have been killed, mostly civilians who often are the targets of rebels from the Hutu majority and soldiers from the Tutsi-dominated army.
The group said soldiers and rebels had been responsible for deliberate attacks on civilians — including rapes, killings and looting.
Last month, the main rebel group, the Forces for the Defense of Democracy, and the transitional government reached a peace accord in which they agreed to give temporary immunity to members of the armed forces and the rebel fighters.
But fighting continues between the army and another rebel group, the National Liberation Forces, and between the rebel groups.
"With the recent agreements, government soldiers and F.D.D. combatants have no need to fear being held accountable for their conduct," said Alison Des Forges, senior adviser to the Africa division of Human Rights Watch. "Civilians pay and will continue to pay the price."
The Burundi Army spokesman, Col. Augustin Nzabampema, said he could not comment until he read the report.
It was not immediately possible to contact the National Liberation Forces rebels, but a spokesman for the Forces for Defense of Democracy, Gelase Daniel Ndabirabe, said that many atrocities happened during the war.
"Both sides will take time to discuss them," he said. "For the time being, we are not fighting. We are working for peace and are trying to cure the wounds."
Human Rights Watch has documented a series of attacks in which it says civilians were killed by rebels and government soldiers from April to November. |
