Refugees from Burundi, forced out of eastern Zaire, returning to their country are facing the same human rights abuses that forced them to flee in the first place. Killings of unarmed civilians in the context of civil war and ethnic violence are reported virtually every week. At least 10,000 casualties have been recorded since the military coup of 25 July 1996, and as many as 500 people who have returned in recent weeks are reported to have been killed by government forces. Others have “disappeared”. Amnesty International is calling on the government of Major Pierre Buyoya and the international community to take steps to ensure their safety.
