He was unhurt but the car he was travelling in was shot-up. However, more than 30,000 displaced, fleeing fighting between rival Hutu rebel groups CNDD and Palipehutu, have gathered in and around the town. Kayanza province to the east is also receiving a stream of people escaping the violence in northwestern Cibitoke. Some 20 people were killed and at least 30 wounded by armed attackers over the weekend at Gitaza, about 20 kms south of Bujumbura. Six other civilians were killed at Rushubi, also in Bujumbura Rural province.
Negotiations continue with the government on allowing the team into the field.
Non-aligned countries attending the UN General Assembly session on Monday urged the international community to have some understanding for the government in Kinshasa. Humanitarian sources said the calm followed a recent peace conference between the Bembe and Banyamulenge peoples in South Kivu. Radio France Internationale claimed on Saturday that Rwandan troops were bolstering the defence of Bukavu threatened by the advance south of Mai-Mai militia. Rwandan helicopter gunships are also reportedly in operation in Masisi. Refugees return Over 2,300 DRC refugees have returned to Uvira across Lake Tanganyika from camps in Tanzania under a voluntary repatriation programme launched at the beginning of the month.