UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council on Sunday condemned the massacre of at least 150 Congolese refugees at a U.N. camp in neighboring Burundi, and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice "without delay."
| "Not that we have any way to do that, you understand." |
Reflecting the seriousness of the killings, the council met in emergency session at the request of France to denounce Friday night's attack at the camp in Gatumba.
| The French always demand a serious response. |
A statement approved by the 15 council members and read by the council president, Russia's U.N. Ambassador Andrey Denisov, condemned the massacre "with the utmost firmness."
| How 'bout next time protecting the refugees with the "utmost firmness"? |
A Burundian Hutu rebel group, the National Liberation Forces, claimed responsibility for the slaughter attack on the camp, which sheltered Congolese Tutsis known as Banyamulenge who had fled fighting in their troubled country. Officials said Hutu extremists from Congo and Rwanda were also suspected of taking part in the raid. A spokesman for the rebels said Burundian soldiers and Congolese Tutsi militia were hiding in the refugee camp. But most of those killed appeared to be women and children.
| "Yep, dem 8 year olds can be mighty tough when they gets an AK on their shoulder!" |
The Security Council statement did not identify the perpetrators or the victims. Instead, the council called on the top U.N. envoy in Burundi, in consultation with the U.N. representative in Congo, "to establish the facts and report on them to the council as quickly as possible."
| But don't let it disrupt lunch. |
A U.N. statement issued in Burundi on Sunday, expressed "outrage" at the massacre, noting that "most of the victims were women, children and babies ... who were shot dead and burned in their shelters." The statement noted that Burundians in the refugee camp were not attacked. The U.N. Operation in Burundi also reminded the perpetrators, which include the National Liberation Front, who claimed responsibility for the attack, "that they will answer for their acts against humanity."
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