Citation
GENEVA, April 11 (Reuter) - About 2,000 Rwandans have fled into eastern
Zaire in recent days to escape their country's ethnic bloodshed, the
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) said on Monday.
Spokesman Fernando del Mundo said a further 1,100 Burundi refugees
already in Rwanda had also fled into Zaire while up to 300 more had
returned to Burundi.
He said that was on top of some 5,000 people, mostly Burundi refugees,
who fled to Zaire last week.
Rwanda has been torn apart since the assassination last week of its
president. Rebels belonging to the minority Tutsi tribe claim to have
captured large parts of the country and aid workers have reported
bloody massacres and revenge killings.
Del Mundo said that before the Rwandan fighting began there were
276,000 Burundi refugees in Rwanda, 80,000 in Zaire and 38,000 in
Tanzania.
The UNHCR has evacuated all but three of its 30 expatriate staff from
Rwanda, he added.
(c) Reuters Limited 1994
