BURUNDI'S new military ruler, Maj Pierre Buyoya, said yesterday he was halting forced expulsions of Rwandan Hutu refugees in a move apparently aimed at defusing international criticism of his takeover of power in a coup.
Maj Buyoya, a Tutsi, said his government would not force Rwandan Hutus to go back to the homeland which they had fled in fear of retribution for the mass killings of Rwandan Tutsis by Hutus in 1994.
Our government will respect international law, including the protection of the refugees on our soil," he told a news conference.
An army operation last week, launched before Thursday's coup, in which 15,000 Hutus were sent back to, Rwanda from northern Burundi, was roundly condemned. More than 70,000 Hutus remain in camps in the north.
The repatriations were carried out by Burundian authorities and their Rwandan counterparts and had the backing of President Sylvestre Ntibantunganya, who was deposed by Maj Buyoya.
An estimated 150,000 people have been killed in Burundi in three years of violence driven by fear and hatred between Hutus, who make up about 85 per cent of the population, and Tutsis, who dominate the military and state apparatus.
Burundi and Rwanda have a similar ethnic mix and their politics are intertwined.
Maj Buyoya repeated his opposition to foreign intervention to end the killing in Burundi. "The [proposed] intervention of foreign troops has been very badly received by the people. The solution to our problems is political dialogue," he said.
But Hutus in Bujumbura's Kamenge suburb said they wanted outside intervention.
"We demand, that the international community intervene militarily. The coup is a catastrophe for this country and only a fool would believe it is accepted by the population," said Mr Francois Nkenyerere (29), standing outside a Catholic church.
He said the rebel National Council for the Defence of Democracy (CNDD) of Mr Leonard Nyangoma was likely to grow.
"I can understand what Nyangoma is doing and I fully support him. He wants to reform the country. He has the arms to do it and the army trembles when his soldiers pass, Mr Nkenyerere said.
Hundreds of Tutsi youths returned to Bujumbura's streets in force yesterday, running through the town and along the shore of Lake Tanganyika, chanting and singing under the watchful eye of the military.
The US special envoy to Burundi, Mr Howard Wolpe, was expected in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, later in the day. He was expected to be briefed on talks between the presidents of Tanzania and Uganda.