Thousands flee fighting in Burundi

Burundian civilians are caught in a ruthless the civil war

Thousands of people have fled their homes in and around the Burundian capital, Bujumbura, following renewed fighting between the Burundi army and Hutu rebels.

The latest upsurge of violence intensified on Monday when rebels launched a mortar attack on Bujumbura.

On Tuesday soldiers moved into a hillside neighbourhood where they believed the attackers were based and cleared the area.

Burundi's civil war, which has cost at least 250,000 lives since 1993, pits Hutu rebels against the Tutsi-dominated government of President Pierre Buyoya.

No shelter

The fighting escalated more than two weeks ago, when the army launched an offensive against Hutu rebels to the south and east of the capital.

Civilians across Bujumbura province have been running for cover - more than 15,000 have fled to the town of Rushubi alone.

Following Tuesday's army operation in Bujumbura, hundreds of residents fled to another part of the city in heavy rain, but found no shelter there.

The BBC's Prime Ndikumagenge says the government does not seem to know how to deal with the thousands of civilians displaced by the recent fighting.