_WORLD WATCH______________________________
___________________Burundi_________________

Thousands homeless in new fighting
Hutu-Tutsi conflicts reappear

The papal nuncio in Burundi has reported that new clashes between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups have forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes.

“Insecurity grows daily. Shooting is heard everywhere. At least 37,000 people are displaced. Some districts have been closed for security reasons,” said Archbishop Michel A. Courtney in Bujumbura, after a Hutu rebel raid on the capital city sent thousands of civilians in search of safety in outlying areas.

The attack came after a regional summit in Arusha, Tanzania, closed without producing any accord. Heads of state from Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Congo attended the meeting of Burundian political leaders. In talks mediated by former South African president Nelson Mandela, Burundi’s political leaders failed to reach an agreement on the composition of a government to lead the country during a three-year transition to democracy, pending regular elections. One positive result of the meeting was the approval of a proposal by Mandela: in the three-year transition period, the first 18 months will be presided over by a Tutsi and the second half by a Hutu.