Genocide: It’s a shame Burundian refugees turned against their hosts

Editor,If Burundian authorities and the UN cooperated, they could easily identify the Burundian nationals who participated in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi at a time they were living as refugees in Rwanda.Yet I doubt this will happen since Interahamwe militia also later helped the then rebels to kill civilians in Burundi.From the experience of the survivors of Interahamwe attacks in Burundi, this militia was so ruthless and more feared than then Burundian rebels. While in Rwanda justice has generally taken its course, in Burundi ruthless criminals have mysteriously vanished in thin air.As Burundian, I feel ashamed that some of my countrymen played a part in the slaughter of our neighbours – the same people who had sheltered them as refugees in Rwanda. And it hurts even more to know these Burundian perpetrators may never be brought to book for their role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.BR, BurundiReactions to the story, “How local leaders used Burundian refugees to aid massacre of Tutsis” (The New Times, January 15)

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Genocide: It’s a shame Burundian refugees turned against their hosts