Burundi's government today criticised a United Nations report on the August 13th massacre of 160 Congolese refugees in Burundi, calling it ignorant of the available evidence.
Attackers hacked, bludgeoned and burned to death 160 refugees at the desolate Gatumba transit camp, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The UN report said contaminated evidence at the scene made it impossible to identify any perpetrators besides a Hutu rebel group, the Forces for National Liberation (FNL), which earlier claimed responsibility for the massacre.
Burundi's minister of foreign affairs, Mr Therence Sinunguruza, said the report failed to identify the other perpetrators of the massacre when there was clear evidence showing a coalition of FNL rebels, Congolese traditional Mai Mai fighters and Rwandan Hutu militia had been responsible.
"On the current stage of national inquiries, the attackers who operated were about 750, including 300 FNL rebels, 250 Mai Mai and 200 Rwandan Hutu rebels of FDLR," he said.
An FNL participant in the massacre and a top Mai Mai commander in Burundian custody "have clearly indicated how things happened from the preparations, the aims, the reasons, the operations", Mr Sinunguruza said.
"The report is much more motivated by political reasons than the search of truth, since the authors of the massacre are well known."
Burundi's government is continuing with its investigations and plans to bring those responsible to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, a course the UN report urged.