2020 Bugarama attack

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2020 Bugarama attack
Part of RED-Tabara insurgency
DateAugust 23–24, 2020
Location
Bugarama, Rumonge Province, Burundi
Result Indecisive
Belligerents
Flag of Burundi.svg Burundi RED-Tabara
Casualties and losses
Unknown 5 killed
11 civilians kidnapped and killed

Between August 23 and 24, 2020, militants from RED-Tabara attacked the city of Bugarama, Burundi, killing eleven civilians and five militants.

Contents

Background

RED-Tabara was formed as a Tutsi group against the administration of Évariste Ndayishimiye and Pierre Nkurunziza. Following Nkurunziza's death a month after the 2020 Burundian general election, Ndayishimiye succeeded him and took office in July 2020. [1] RED-Tabara decried the elections, and stated they would continue to oppose Ndayishimiye. [2] In late August, the first repatriation of Burundian refugees from Rwanda began. The Burundian government had accused Rwanda of holding the refugees hostage and preventing their repatriation in July and August. [3]

Attack

The attack began on August 23, when RED-Tabara militants emerged from the forest around Bugarama and kidnapped eleven people. [4] The commander of the militants later stated that they infiltrated Burundi from the DRC's South Kivu province through Lake Tanganyika. [5] The eleven hostages were summarily executed, and then clashes broke out between the militants and the Burundian Army in the city. [3] Five militants were killed in the battle, and eventually retreated. [3] A senior Burundian government official stated that the attack likely stemmed from the repatriation of the refugees. [2] RED-Tabara claimed responsibility for the attack on August 24, after clashes had died down earlier that day, and claimed that nine policemen and twenty "militants" had been killed. [2] In the statement, RED-Tabara claimed that Hutu rebel group FDLR had infiltrated Burundian forces. [2] [6]

Aftermath

RED-Tabara claimed several more attacks in Burundi on September 15, 18, and 25, claiming the deaths of fifty-nine people who they alleged were associated with the Burundian government. [7] Several RED-Tabara militants, including the commander of the Bugarama attack, were arrested in Rwanda on September 29. They claimed that the Bugarama attack was against Burundian forces and Imbonerakure. [5]

References

  1. ↑ Ulloa, Carlos; María Nuñez, José; Suárez, Andrés; Lin, Chengxian (December 2017). "Design and development of a PV-T test bench based on Arduino". Energy Procedia. 141: 71–75. doi: 10.1016/j.egypro.2017.11.014 . ISSN   1876-6102.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "At least 15 dead as rebels attack southern Burundi". Reuters. August 25, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "CrisisWatch: September Alerts and August Trends 2020". www.crisisgroup.org. 2020-08-31. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  4. ↑ "Burundi: Unidentified gunmen carry out attack in Bugarama (Rumonge province) August 23–24". Burundi: Unidentified gunmen carry out attack in Bugarama (Rumonge province) August 23–24 | Crisis24. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  5. 1 2 "REGIONAL VERIFICATION MECHANISM (EJVM) STARTS INVESTIGATIONS ON BURUNDIAN COMBATANTS CAPTURED IN RWANDA". Rwandan Ministry of Defense. October 5, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  6. ↑ "43. Burundi (1962-present)". uca.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  7. ↑ "CrisisWatch: October Alerts and September Trends 2020". www.crisisgroup.org. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
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