Word: hutu
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...tragedy grew out of an ancient blood feud between Burundi's two main ethnic groups: the lanky Tusi, who are also known as the Tall Ones, and the stockier Hutu, the Short Ones. Although the Tusi represent only 15% of the country's population of 5 million, they have long dominated both the government and the military. The Hutu, by contrast, are mostly subsistence farmers. In 1972, after an aborted coup attempt by the Hutu, the Tusi launched a campaign of terror that resulted in an estimated 100,000 Hutu deaths...
...Hutu refugees in Rwanda said the latest clash began three weeks ago, when troops of the all-Tusi Burundian army started rounding up educated Hutu in the hills of the Marangara district. Fearing another massacre, the Hutu struck first, using machetes and spears to kill the soldiers and hundreds of unarmed Tusi. Hutu refugees reported that the ensuing army reprisals included such atrocities as the bayoneting of unarmed prisoners and use of helicopters and machine guns to fire on fleeing Hutu women and children...
...Western diplomat in Burundi denied seeing evidence of a military killing spree. "The idea that the army is massacring the Hutu is just not what we're hearing here," he said. "Nongovernmental sources, including missionaries coming down from the north, say the army is acting with a great deal of restraint...
...Burundian government attributed the unrest to Hutu activists in Rwanda, who it says incited fellow tribesmen to attack the Tusi. In a press conference last week, Burundi's President, Major Pierre Buyoya, who took power in a bloodless coup last September, said he regretted the need to use force but denied that the army used napalm...
...Burundian capital of Bujumbura was calm last week under a nationwide dusk-to-dawn curfew. Calling an end to all major military activity, Buyoya has mounted a program of pacification and has opened centers for returning Hutu refugees. At the same time, Burundi's President has made it clear that he will not tolerate any further violence. Said Buyoya: "Force will be used again if necessary...