Family killed in Burundi by men armed with machetes

BUJUMBURA, Burundi (AA) - Three members of the same family were killed by unidentified gunmen in northwestern Burundi, the police told Anadolu Agency on Monday.

The three victims (mother, father, and child) were attacked early Monday by men with machetes while they were returning home to the Muyange, Bubanza commune in the east African nation, said deputy police spokesman Moize Nkurunziza, without elaborating on the reasons for the attack or the identity of the assailants.

"The investigation is ongoing and three people have already been arrested for questioning," he added.

The province of Bubanza, whose eastern part is close to the Democratic Republic of Congo, is adjacent to Kibira National Park, a stronghold of the National Forces of Liberation (FNL) rebel group.

The army and Burundian police constantly track down these rebels opposed to the regime. On Dec. 21, five Burundian soldiers were killed on Congolese soil while pursuing members of the FNL who crossed into the DRC, according to military sources who requested anonymity.

Burundi’s security and political crisis started in April 2015 when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced his candidacy for a third term. Since then, more than 400 people have been killed and at least 230,000 have fled the country to seek refuge in neighboring states within the East African region.

The worst of the violence occurred on Dec. 11 when 87 people were killed in clashes in Bujumbura.