SUMMARY
The one-sided violence perpetrated by the temporary coalition of the Government of Burundi and the Government of Rwanda mainly unfolded during the First Congo War (1996–1997) together with AFDL. One attack was also reported together with RCD during the Second Congo War in 1998. Following the 1994 Rwandan genocide, over a million Rwandan Hutu refugees, including members of the former Rwandan Armed Forces (ex-FAR) and Interahamwe militia, fled to eastern Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). These groups used refugee camps as bases to launch cross-border attacks into Rwanda, prompting Rwanda and its allies to support the AFDL in a campaign to dismantle the camps and eliminate perceived threats. This military intervention rapidly escalated into a broader conflict aimed at toppling Zaire's President Mobutu Sese Seko. Later the same countries were involved in the Second Congo War.
While the coalition's stated objective was to neutralize genocidal forces, reports indicate that their operations often targeted Hutu civilians indiscriminately. Government of Burundi and the Government of Rwanda with the support of AFDL attacked refugee camps and villages, resulting in mass killings of unarmed civilians, including women and children. In some cases, victims were lured to meetings under false pretenses before being executed.
The coalition's tactics were characterized by systematic massacres, often involving close-range killings with blunt instruments. Notable incidents include the October 1996 attacks on the Itara I and II camps near Luvungi, where over 100 refugees were killed, and the November 1996 massacre in the village of Rubenga, where fleeing civilians were killed and their bodies dumped into the Ruzizi River. These operations frequently involved the burning of shelters with inhabitants inside and the use of mass graves to conceal the atrocities.
The violence was not confined to the Kivu provinces but extended westward across Zaire. Massacres occurred in regions such as Maniema, Orientale, and Équateur, including a significant incident in May 1997 in Mbandaka, where hundreds of Hutu refugees were killed. The widespread nature of these attacks indicates a coordinated campaign across multiple regions.
The coalition between Government of Burundi and Government of Rwanda first became active as a one-sided perpetrator in UCDP data in 1996 when the one-sided violence resulted in at least 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached on 20 October when they attacked refugee-camps in Uvira zone, Sud-Kivu region, Zaire.
