Saturday September 16 7:15 PM ET
6 Dead, 4 Hurt in Burundi Attacks

By JOCELYNE SAMBIRA, Associated Press Writer

BUJUMBURA, Burundi (AP) - Men in military uniforms attacked a Hutu suburb of Burundi's capital, killing six people and wounding four others, witnesses said Saturday.

The four-hour battle began late Friday and lasted until early Saturday morning in Kamenge, where a health clinic owned by a member of the Hutu majority was raided for medical supplies. Patients were not harassed, but the attackers did ask for the Hutu medical technician.

Deo Tungicimana fled through a back door and hid until the end of the attack.

``The attackers spent an hour and a half trying to break open the door. I think the people who attacked were familiar with the place because they directed themselves straight to the storage room,'' Tungicimana said.

Burundi's Tutsi dominated army has been fighting Hutu rebels since 1993, when Tutsi paratroopers assassinated Burundi's first democratically elected president, a Hutu. A Tutsi elite has dominated the government, army and business interests since independence in 1962, though they are a minority.

A woman living behind the clinic told The Associated Press that her baby was kidnapped by the attackers, but later returned in exchange for a small ransom.

``The attackers had military uniforms and they were accompanied by very young children. All had guns. Some had boots and others wore sandals,'' she said, asking not to be identified.

Two soldiers tried to stop the attack, but were killed in the fighting, said Nimbazi Deogratias, the Hutu chief of Kamenge. He added: ``If it had not been for the security forces, a lot of people would have died. There are a lot of rebel infiltrations in this area.''

But others disagreed.

``The attackers came to steal and kill. They took their time and the security forces did not assist us,'' said one eyewitness, who watched the attack from a hiding place.

Kamenge, a predominantly Hutu suburb, was largely destroyed in 1993 when it was used by rebels to attack the capital, Bujumbura.

In South Africa, one of Burundi's main Hutu rebel groups agreed to participate in next week's cease-fire negotiations, Deputy President Jacob Zuma said Saturday.

Leaders of the rebel group Forces of National Liberation will travel to Nairobi, Kenya, to take part in negotiations aiming to end Burundi's seven-year civil war, Zuma said.

Wednesday's meeting is set to be the first time Hutu rebels have participated in the peace talks. Rebel groups had refused to take part, though they did meet with former President Nelson Mandela, chief mediator in the negotiations.

The government, the military, seven Hutu parties and 10 Tutsi parties have signed a power-sharing agreement. That document does not provide for a cease fire.