Massacres of unarmed civilians escalate Thousands of unarmed civilians are being deliberately and arbitrarily killed in Rwanda and massacres have intensified since May 1997, while the international community looks the other way, Amnesty International said today. During May, June and July, more than 2,300 unarmed civilians are estimated to have been killed. Armed opposition groups believed to be composed of soldiers of the former Rwandese army and militia responsible for the genocide of 1994 are also carrying out attacks on civilians as well as on RPA personnel.
Local sources say that many families have left their homes and some villages are virtually empty.
These operations usually take place following attacks by armed opposition groups. Contrary to what the government sometimes claims, these victims are not killed accidentally in cross-fire. The organization again urges the Rwandese authorities to take immediate measures to prevent further loss of civilian life by prohibiting unlawful killings by its armed forces. Serious attempts must be made to investigate reports of massacres with a view to bringing those responsible to justice. Although the government has announced on several occasions that it was investigating these killings, it has so far failed to publish the findings of these investigations.