The authorities in Burundi say that Hutu rebels have killed more than 100 civilians in an attack on a village and military camp near the capital, Bujumbura.

The victims included women and children, and many more people were injured. Some 30 rebels and two soldiers were also reported to have been killed in the attack, which happened before dawn.

The attack happened close to the airport

Officials say the attack on Rukaramu came as the rebels retreated after launching an earlier raid on Bujumbura airport.

A senior military commander, Colonel Jean-Bosco Daradangwe, was quoted as saying at least 1,000 rebels were involved.

Documents found suggest Rwandans were involved

He said the attack appeared to be part of a broader scheme by rebels to keep the governments in Burundi, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo under pressure.

Col Daradangwe said the rebels came from Congo and Rwanda to reinforce their comrades in Burundi, who have been fighting a guerrilla war since 1993.

Tutsi-dominated armies of Rwanda and Burundi helped Kabila to power

The Tutsi-dominated armies of Rwanda and Burundi helped Laurent Kabila's forces topple the late dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko, in the former Zaire last year and install Kabila in power.

Col Daradangwe described the raid as the biggest rebel attack ever and warned that the death toll could rise as the army combed the area.

The BBC's East Africa correspondent Cathy Jenkins reports on the massacre (57')

State radio in neighbouring Rwanda, where Hutus waged a genocidal war against Tutsis in 1994, said the rebel force caused mayhem as it retreated after a fierce battle with Burundi's army.

The radio, quoting Burundian officials, said shells landed at Bujumbura airport during the fighting which caused panic in the lakeside city, but the building was not badly damaged.

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