The
government says that those killed by the security forces (pictured
above) on 11 December were responsible for attacks on installations
The security forces
in Burundi systematically killed dozens of people during violent
repression that took place in the capital Bujumbura on 11 December,
Amnesty International says.
It says that some of the scores of
people who died during the single bloodiest day of Burundi's "escalating
crisis" were killed extra-judicially. At least 87 people were killed, including eight security force members.
The government has not yet responded to the Amnesty report.
But it said soon after the violence on 11 December that those killed were responsible for attacks on government installations. Image copyrightReutersImage caption
Bodies were found in several districts of the capital in the aftermath of the violence on 11 December
Image copyrightAPImage caption
Several soldiers were also killed or injured in the violence
Unrest has blighted Burundi since an attempted coup in May and protests over President Pierre Nkurunziza's continued rule.
The
attempt to overthrow the president followed his decision to seek a
third term in office, which he won in a disputed election in July.
Ethnic conflict between Hutus and Tutsis which began in Burundi in the early 1990s claimed an estimated 300,000 lives.
'Nadir'
"The
violent repression that took place on 11 December represented a
dramatic escalation in scale and intensity from previous security
operations," the Amnesty report says. Image copyrightReutersImage caption
Burundi's security forces have displayed weapons
they claimed to have seized from civilians the day after the 11 December
violence
Image copyrightAPImage caption
Political violence has been escalating in Burundi since April
"But the modus operandi of the operations -
involving extrajudicial executions, systematic looting and theft,
arbitrary arrests and targeting of perceived political opposition
strongholds - was not qualitatively different from past practice."
Amnesty says that its report was compiled after a two-week fact-finding mission to the country.
Most
of those killed on 11 December were residents of districts mostly
inhabited by members of the minority Tutsi ethnic group, it says.
"They
are considered by the authorities to be pro-opposition areas, as the
protests that began in April against President Nkurunziza's bid for a
third term in office started in these neighbourhoods."
Amnesty
says that since the beginning of the protests in April, residents of
Bujumbura have become accustomed to near-daily reports of corpses being
found in the streets.
"Frequent arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances, as well as
what appears to be a systematic practice of extortion by the security
forces... have also contributed to the rapid deterioration of the human
rights situation in the country," Amnesty says.
"Yet, even in this context, the events of 11 December marked a nadir," the report says.
While
the government faces "an extremely challenging security situation",
including armed attacks on the security forces, "it must confront these
challenges in a manner consistent with human rights and the rule of
law".
"Ending the absolute impunity that the security forces currently enjoy is an essential first step," Amnesty says. Image copyrightAFP
Timeline - Burundi crisis
April 2015 - Protests erupt after President Pierre Nkurunziza announces he will seek a third term in office.
May
2015 - Constitutional court rules in favour of Mr Nkurunziza, amid
reports of judges being intimidated. Tens of thousands flee violence
amid protests.
May 2015 - Army officers launch a coup attempt, which fails.
July
2015 - Elections are held, with Mr Nkurunziza re-elected. The polls are
disputed, with opposition leader Agathon Rwasa describing them as "a
joke".
November
2015 - Burundi government gives those opposing President Nkurunziza's
third term five days to surrender their weapons ahead of a promised
crackdown.
November 2015 - UN warns it is less equipped to deal with violence in Burundi than it was for the Rwandan genocide.
December 2015 - 87 people killed on one day as soldiers respond to an attack on military sites in Bujumbura
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