Masked Gunmen Kill 50 Tutsis and Hutus in Burundi
Masked gunmen attacked an eastern Burundi market with hand grenades and rifles, killing about 50 people and wounding an undetermined number, Burundian officials said.
The attack occurred Sunday in the village of Cagizo near the border with Tanzania, said Balthazar Ndimurwuonko, an Interior Ministry official.
Burundian radio said the victims belonged to both the majority Hutu and minority Tutsi ethnic groups. The assault was a departure from past situations in which gangs of extremist Hutus and Tutsis have attacked each other’s communities, Ndimurwuonko said.
An army spokeman said no one had claimed responsibility.
Ndimurwuonko said a car drove to the open-air market and parked. Three of the four occupants wearing what appeared to be socks over their faces jumped out and threw grenades into the crowd, then opened fire before fleeing.
A government official said there were unconfirmed reports the assailants fled across the border to Tanzania.
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