Burundi rights activists welcome UN probe into refugee killings in DRC

Local human rights activists in Burundi have welcomed a move announced by the United Nations on Tuesday to investigate the death of 39 Burundian refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo in September last year.

On September 15, 35 Burundian refugees were killed and more than 100 others wounded allegedly by government security forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

But details of who exactly carried out the attack are still unclear, with various accounts and official government statements contradicting the UN’s comments on the matter.

Following the incident, Lambert Mende, the country’s minister of media and communication, told the media that there had been an exchange of fire and described the confrontation “as an attack on the army”.

“The motive behind the killing of these innocent refugees remains mystery yet family members continue to point a finger to government,” said Vital Nshirimana, the head of Burundi’s Forum for Strengthening the Civil Society.

“We believe the independent probe by UN will clear the air and ensure that victims are accorded justice,” he said.

Nshirimana and other local human rights activists have been documenting similar cases of Burundian refugees killed or disappeared in exile.

He said many family members interviewed by his organization believe Burundi government forces engineered the killing but Bujumbura government has dismissed the allegations as baseless.

Rights groups in DRC say Congolese soldiers opened fire on the Burundian refugees in eastern South Kivu province after they protested the detention of a small group of Burundians by Congolese army, FARDC.

The special investigation will also look into the response of UN peacekeepers to the violence at the time and provide necessary recommendations.

“We have been urging UN to investigate the matter and we hope families of the victims will at least get to know who killed their relatives,” Lambert Nigarura, a Burundian civil society activist told SoftPower.

Nigerian Lieutenant-General Chikadibia Isaac Obiakor is tasked to lead the UN investigation. More than 43,000 Burundians have arrived in DR Congo since 2015, according to the UN refugee agency.

Burundian refugees fled Congo to neighboring countries after the unrest of 2015, when President Pierre Nkurunziza decided to seek a third term opposed by many as unconstitutional.