Mass grave discovered in Burundi's capital

Burundian security forces discovered here Monday afternoon a mass grave containing at least 30 corpses, authorities said.

The grave is located in Mutakura, one of Bujumbura's neighborhoods known for hosting insurgents, and the bodies were victims who supported a third term for the Burundian president, Bujumbura Mayor Freddy Mbonimpa told reporters.

"They were killed and dumped in bags here. Many of them are Imbonerakure youths," he said, referring to the youth wing of Burundi's ruling party.

Burundi has seen frequent violence since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced the controversial decision last April to run for a third term. He eventually won the election in July.

"This mass grave has been discovered thanks to the collaboration of the public and one of the ex-insurgents who recently surrendered to the security forces," the mayor said.

Mbonimpa also said that the discovery of the mass grave should refute some accusations against the security forces.

"This shows that accusations by Amnesty International and other organizations about the existence of mass graves where youths said to have disappeared in the hands of security forces were dumped are wrong and groundless," Mbonimpa said. Endi