Former rebels take up arms again in Burundi

A FORMER Burundian Hutu rebel group has declared war against the country’s government and its leader called on the president to step down, raising fears of a renewed outbreak of violence in the poor country.

The Forces for National Liberation (FNL) group had laid down its weapons and joined the government in 2009 after almost two decades of a civil war that killed 300,000 people.

In a statement issued yesterday, the group said hundreds of its fighters and members had been killed by security forces in the central African country since an election in 2010.

The statement said. “The ruling party and its government continue to impoverish the population through graft and economic mismanagement. Due to all these considerations, we decided to fight the CNDD-FDD government militarily.”

FNL leader Agathon Rwasa, thought to be hiding in neighbouring Congo, said: “My advice to the current government is to quit power or one day the Burundian people will stand up as one and topple it.”