Rwanda: Alarming resurgence of killings

Index Number: AFR 47/013/1996
Date Published: 11 August 1996
Categories: Africa, Rwanda

The first half of 1996 has been marked by a sharp escalation in killings; between April and July violence against unarmed civilians claimed more than 650 lives. In some cases the evidence points overwhelmingly to members of the Rwandese Patriotic Army (RPA), in other cases to armed oppostion groups believed to be allied to the former Rwandese government forces and interahamwe militia. In many cases, however, responsibility is difficult to establish. In the present climate each killing carries the possibility of reprisals. This report details extrajudicial executions committed by the RPA, armed opposition groups and "unknown armed assailants", and calls on both sides and the international community to put an end to further massacres.