Burundi gunmen kill 18 in convoy ambush, some victims burnt alive

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Unknown armed assailants killed 18 people when they attacked a two-vehicle convoy in central Burundi over the weekend, government officials and witnesses said on Monday.

The attackers, who struck at about 8 pm local time on Saturday, fired into the two cars before pouring petrol and setting them alight, a government official in the area who did not want to be identified told Reuters.

He said the vehicles, which were travelling on the Bujumbura-Gitega road, were blocked by stones, before a “fusillade of bullets” was fired into them.

The attackers then set fire to the cars, leaving some victims burnt beyond recognition, the official said.

The attack took place in Muramvya province, about 65 kilometres (40 miles) from the capital Bujumbura. Another attack on May 9 in Muramvya claimed eight lives.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday’s incident, which the security ministry described as a “terrorist attack”.

Some 12 suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack, the ministry said.

(Reporting by Nairobi Newsroom; Editing by Gareth Jones)