 King Kigeli was the first to mount a counterattack against the rioters, defying Belgian refusal of permission to form his own army. Mobilising thousands of loyal militia, Kigeli ordered the arrest or killing of a number of prominent Hutu leaders in the hope of quashing the peasant revolt; Joseph Gitera's brother, a prominent member of APROSOMA, was among the dead. Many of those arrested were brought to the king's palace at Nyanza, where they were tortured by UNAR officials. Kayibanda, who was in hiding and Gitera, under Belgian protection in Astrida, were not captured. Although Kigeli and UNAR remained more powerful and better equipped than the Hutu parties, they knew that the Belgians now strongly supported the latter; given enough time, the Hutu would gain the upper hand. Therefore, UNAR sought to ostracise Belgium from power and gain independence as soon as possible.
