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`Thousands of civilians killed' in Rwanda

Saturday, November 29, 1997 Published at 21:24 GMT

image: [ Rwandan soldiers allegedly killed 8,000 civilians in the Kanama region ]

`Thousands of civilians killed' in Rwanda
The Rwandan army has been accused of killing more than 8,000 Hutus last month during a campaign against armed rebel groups.

A report by the Hutu-funded Centre of the Fight Against Impunity and Injustice in Rwanda, based in Brussels, says many of those killed in the north-western district of Kanama were civilians.

Eyewitnesses claim thousands were killed when they were chased into caves by the Rwandan army, which then shelled them, leaving no survivors.

[ image: width=154]

Seth Kamanzi, a spokesman for President Pasteur Bizimungu, said the army pursued rebel forces into the caves, a frequent hideout for Hutu militants.

He said the rebels remain there surrounded by government troops.

Journalists have not been granted access to the area to check out the reports.

In the last six months a series of clashes between rebel forces and the Rwandan army have turned parts of north-western Rwanda into a virtual war zone.

Earlier this month, more than 300 people were reported to have been killed when a large gang of Hutu rebels attacked a jail in a bid to free hundreds of their colleagues.

The Rwandan army blames the escalating violence on Hutu refugees who returned from camps in eastern Zaire a year ago.

Human rights groups have repeatedly claimed the army is following up its offensives against the insurgents with ruthless reprisal operations against civilians.

Internet Links

Rwandan Embassy in USA
The UNHCR's Rwanda page

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