Talk:Activists remember Burundi's Gatumba massacre

Full text of AC-Genocide press release: ''A year after the Gatumba the Massacre of Ethnic Banyamulenge: any lesson?

On August 13, 2004, one hundred and fifty-two ethnic Tutsi from the Democratic Republic of Congo known as Banyamulenge were massacred, and scores of others wounded. The crime took place in the Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi. The PALIPEHUTU-FNL terror group claimed responsibility immediately after.

On this first anniversary of this unspeakable atrocity, we have the moral obligation to honour the memory of these people who were killed just because of their Tutsi ethnic origins. We hereby invite anyone who believes in the right to life, to check if the world community may have learnt any lesson from the carnage.

It should be remembered that for many years, the PALIPEHUTU-FNL terror organization has been committing scores of unspeakable crimes. For example, they attacked a Belgian airliner in 2000, and in December of the same year, they ambushed a public transportation bus, killing dozens of harmless passengers from diverse nationalities, among which children aged less than 5 years. Quite surprisingly, the terror group never underwent any serious condemnation from the world community. And well aware of the idleness of the UN, they engaged in more savagery. Thus, the Gatumba refugee camp was a half-mile away from the home base of UN Blue Helmets whose ROE were more than clear as provided by Chapter 7 of the Un Charter.

In the days following the massacres, condemnation arose from all over the world. However, it soon died away and was replaced gradually by complacency with terrorists. Yet, the massacres of Banyamulenge refugees by PALIPEHUTU-FNL were a reminder to the world that there is a persistent genocide ideology in the Great lakes region that is aimed at ethnic Tutsi. PALIPEHUTU -FNL is part a network which comprises among other members the Rwandan militia responsible for the 1994 genocide.1 The UN report on the Gatumba massacre shows that the killings were conducted by PALIPEHUTU-FNL together with other negative forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Still, the UN reactions in the aftermath of the massacres are quite paradoxical:

A couple months after the massacres, the UN Special Representative to Burundi, Ms Carolyn Macaskie met with the terror group leaders in Nairobi, Kenya. There was no repentance from these killers prior to the meeting; nonetheless, she went on to relay their so-called demands.

Leaders of the Great Lakes region declared PALIPEHUTU-FNL a terrorist organisation, but their stand was contracted by their subsequent inaction.

Tanzania organized a meeting between the Burundi President and the leader of the PALIPEHUTU-FNL terror group, providing the latter with an opportunity to appear as normal politician, though he is nothing but the head of a gang of killers

Why is the world standing still in front of such atrocities? How can nations like Canada and the UK, whose citizens have died at the hands of PALIPEHUTU-FNL terrorists, encourage negotiations with the same terrorists? Since these countries can condone PALIPEHUTU-FNL atrocities, why don’t they hold negotiations with Osama Bin Laden, Musa al Zarkawi, and other world terrorists?

Because of this tendency to tolerate the intolerable, we invite all those with whom we are engaged in the struggle for justice to never give up. We remind the rest of the international community that it is never too late to do good. There are many examples throughout history of how crimes against humanity always end up with punishment. For instance, the Armenian genocide was recognized more than 75 years after, or Germany formally apologized to the Namibian Herrero after more than 100 years.

For all the above reasons, we recommend that:

Burundians keep their demand for justice in spite of the current context whereby the country is about to be ruled by a PALIPEHUTU-FNL ally2, an unpardoned convict who was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity.

Non-Burundians (especially citizens of countries having suffered from PALIPEHUTU-FNL atrocities): urge their governments to stop supporting terror groups and to arrest their leaders instead.

The UNO: to never fail their main mission of safeguarding peace by arresting and trying people accused of crimes against humanity, atop of them PALIPEHUTU-FNL. Toronto, August 13, 2005.

Emmanuel Nkurunziza

AC-Génocide Canada, Toronto division''

Rcameronw 17:01, 13 August 2005 (UTC)

BURUNDI COULD GET PEACE !
ACCORDIND TO THOSE IDEAS OUR FRIEND FIRSTLY WROTE,WE FIND EMMEDIATELY HIS POSITION. ABOUT GATUMBA MASSACRE OF PEOPLE NAMED BANYAMURENGE A REALY REALITY IS OFTEN HIDDEN ! REMEMBER THAT GATUMBA BANYAMURENGE REFUGEE'S CAMP WAS CHANGED IN MILITARY EXERCISES CAMP !!!! AND ABOUT SOME PALIPEHUTU OPERATIONS SAID. WHY DO YOU FORGET A BIG NUMBER OF INNOCENT HUTU PEOPLE WHO WAS KILLID BY TUTSI. BURUNDI.RWANDA AND CONGO WARS BECAME REGIONAL WAR WHERE TUTSI ARE FIGHTING TOGETHER AGAINST HUTU,THE SAME FOR HUTU. MEAN THAT BANYAMURENGE OF GATUMBA WERE DIED LIKE OTHER PEOPLE AT WAR-FIELD. ONLY THERE IS A HOPE,LET WAIT NKURUNZIZA PETER TRYING TO MAKE END BURUNDIAN DISORDER WITH PALIPEHUTU. OF COURSE,WE GONNA KNOW THE SEL-PARTICIPATION OF BANYAMURENGE TO THEIR MASSACRE. BURUNDIAN GATUMBA PEOPLE KWON THE BEST HOW WAS THE SITUATION. THANKS

RETTEN BY: MUGABO Fablice —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.240.117.94 (talk) 03:42, 9 February 2008 (UTC)

this is the most thing that every happened in my life i will never forget that night of August and all i can say is that us who are her in u.s please don't forget where we came from and don't forget god who helped us to get here keep in mind that god still their for us and our family guys lets do what we came here to do which is to study and help our parents remember we are their future so in all things that we want to do nothing we can do witout trusting in god god bless you and keep you and remember he is came no one knows the day or the time that he will come at. love jesus and do what u promised that you will do if you get here and i am pretty sure that one day we will see our brothers and sisters that died in gatumba and our momys and dads and everyone and to be with them forever!!!!!!!!!!! jesus help us do get what we want to get AMEN.'blessed our parents blessed our president and bless this country god and bless people who chose to bring us here be with them and help them to bring they other.

Burundese needs to talk
It is so sad to read about the killing in a bar in Gatumba - Burundi. Burundi needs stability at the moment but it seems like this a sleeping away. I returned to the UK on 01/08/2011 after a trip that led me to Burundi, DRC and passing via Rwanda. I learned about insecurity in the areas around Bujumbura which caused checks almost every 10km on all routes in Burundi. When reading that it seems that killers came from the DRC, I think people are trying to hide the illness Burundi is suffering from today. There are internal fights and this can be any Burundi group's responsibility. Congolese have nothing to do with killings. Even the nearly 4,5 millions killings that took place in the DRC were mainly done by Rwandans Georges