BURUNDI: HUNDREDS OF TUTSIS PROTEST AGAINST PRESIDENT OF BURUNDI

(23 Jul 1996) Natural Sound An angry crowd has forced the President of Burundi to leave a service in memory of the 320 people killed in last week's refugee camp massacre. Hundreds of Tutsi demonstrators - angry at the killing of their friends and relatives by an armed gang of Hutu rebels - tried to attack the President's helicopter. The President escaped but the incident underlines how fragile the situation is in a country where 150-thousand people have been killed in the past three years. Tutsi demonstrators lined the road in the town of Gitega - incensed at the murders of over 320 people on Saturday. Both the Prime Minister - who is a Tutsi - and President Sylvester Ntibantunganya - who is a Hutu - have condemned the violence. But the survivors of the massacre blame the political leaders for the killings. One mourner carried a placard portraying the President and Prime Ministers as drinking Tutsi blood. The funeral of the victims was taking place in the camp at Bugendana where the killings took place. The Prime Minister - Antoine Nduwayo - arrived with the Roman Catholic Cardinal of Gitega province. The crowd were silent but they were obviously unhappy. When the Hutu President's helicopter arrived - the crowd's mood turned much worse. The President was greeted coldly by the Prime Minister, and it was not long before the crowd became violent - throwing sticks and rocks at them. The situation threatened to get out of hand, and security guards and troops were preparing to fire on the mourners when the President decided to leave instead. He was rushed to his helicopter and took off to shouts of abuse from the crowd. The massacre on Saturday was carried out by what witnesses described as an organised group of Hutu rebels. The victims were Tutsi refugees - displaced from other parts of the country by ethnic violence. The killers are believed to have been acting in revenge for the killing of 200 Hutus by the mainly Tutsi army earlier this year. The difference between Hutus and Tutsis has little meaning - it was invented by the colonial authorities. But since the start of the civil war in 1993, an estimated 150-thousand Burundians have been killed in fighting between the two sides. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...