The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, has condemned an attack on a refugee camp in Rwanda in which more than 200 refugees - mainly women and children - were murdered.

UNHCR spokeswoman Pam O'Toole told reporters in Geneva: "The High Commissioner strongly condemns this barbaric attack."

UNHCR workers at the Mudende refugee camp, east of Gisenye, said most of the dead and wounded were mutilated by machetes.

Refugee tents were either burned or slashed and roads were blocked to prevent help being called.

"Our people said it indicated a very systematic operation," said Ms O'Toole.

The refugee camp housed Tutsi refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The regional military commander, Colonel Kyumba Nyamwasa, said he had counted about 230 dead bodies at the site, east of Gisenye.

He added that about 200 people had been wounded and were being treated at Gisenye hospital.

Soldiers said they were unable to stop the killing

The UNHCR says it has repeatedly called for the camp to be moved to a safer area away from the border.

Aid workers say the camp is too close to areas across the border where the attackers have hidden bases.

Colonel Nyamwasa said the militiamen escaped and crossed the border into the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire.

Rwandan government response

The Rwandan government met in emergency session to discuss the killings and announced that ministers would travel immediately to the camp.

Meanwhile, state radio said that half of Rwanda's provincial governors and some commune district leaders were being replaced.

This follows big changes among heads of the security services. Correspondents say the moves appear to be in response to the recent increase in attacks by rebels.

Ethnic rivalry between the Hutus, who make up the majority in both Rwanda and Burundi, and their historic overlords, the Tutsis, has led to hundreds of thousands of deaths in the area in the last 50 years.
 

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