2004 Gatumba Massacre: An Isolated Case?

Rwasa Agathon & Burnt Gatumba refugee camp

It is now a decade since the Gatumba massacre had happened in Burundi. Gatumba is a few miles from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uvira-Kiliba borders. The massacre was carried out on the night of 13-14/08/2004, within a refugee camp, roughly targeting one ethnic community group, Banyamulenge. For a total of 800 refugees, 166 were gunshot, burn under tents and 106 were seriously injured. While living in Uvira and Bukavu, most of these refugees fled to Burundi fearing over their lives. In between the period of 2003-2004, the socio-security context in Eastern part of DRC, especially Uvira-Bukavu, was so explosive, partly due to the confrontation within the transitional government. The transitional government parties were striving to have a hand on these cities, previously controlled by the Congolese Rally for Democracy (Rassembelement Congolais pour la Démocratie); hence assuring forthcoming phases…