French Algerians return to parents' native land

Young, foreign-born Algerians are leaving France to make a life in the emerging market of Algeria [AP]

Algiers - Sofiane Chakki, a 34-year-old entrepreneur who was born and raised in a suburb of Paris, did not expect to live in his parents' native land.

For the past four years, however, he has been commuting back and forth from Algiers to Paris several times a month. "I spend most of my time in Algeria, where I work, and frequently visit my family in France. I have been satisfied with this arrangement so far," Chakki told Al Jazeera. His parents originally come from Bordj Bou Arreridj, a city 200km east of Algeria's capital. 

Chakki did not plan to move to Algiers. "I had no such plan when I was a student. But in 2007, while I was working for an American consulting firm, I made a business trip to Algeria. That was a thrilling experience. In 2011, I quit my job to become an entrepreneur. I came back to Algiers to co-create Paymed Consulting, a firm specialising in human resources," he explained. 

Although Chakki hesitates on whether to live full-time in Algiers, 27-year-old Mohammed Touil has made his choice. He moved to the Algerian capital about a year ago to launch a warehouse for Jumia, a Nigerian e-commerce startup.

Touil said that he decided to migrate to be closer to his roots. "Life in France for Muslims is not convenient. And here, I'm close to my family, who stay in Mostaganem [360km west of Algiers]," said Touil, a graduate of Paris Dauphine University and managing director of Jumia's warehouse.

Mohammed Touil said he decided to migrate to be closer to his roots [Mehdi Budd/Al Jazeera]

While much of Algeria's youth still dreams of moving to Europe, an increasing number of French-born Algerians have moved to Algiers over the past decade.

"This migration trend is undoubtedly growing," said Emmanuelle Santelli, a sociologist and senior researcher  at the National Centre for Scientific Research. 

What we can say for sure is that more and more French citizens descending from Algerian families are interested in investing in their country of origin. Giulia Fabbiano, anthropologist

Giulia Fabbiano, an anthropologist at the School for Advanced Studies in Social Sciences, told Al Jazeera that a lack of statistics means that it is impossible to know how many second-generation immigrants have moved to Algeria.

"However," she said, "what we can say for sure is that more and more French citizens descending from Algerian families are interested in investing in their country of origin." 

The number of French Algerians migrating south declined during the civil-war-ravaged 1990s, known in Algeria as the Black Decade. But the country's economic liberalisation in the early 2000s helped reverse this decline.

"French-born Algerians who have decided to settle down in Algeria since the mid-2000s are mainly young graduates seeking to both achieve personal development and maximise their potential," Fabbiano said.

Given France's stagnant economy, some have begun to see Algeria as a place of relative opportunity. "Here, we don't find difficulties to get a job," said Lamia Boudoudou, a French-Algerian businesswoman.

The reason Boudoudou left France is the same one cited by many other France-to-Algeria migrants. "Everything remains to be done in Algeria. It doesn't take a long time to develop a successful business here. For instance, my start-up took off after only 18 months, whereas it needs three years, at least, in France," said Boudoudou, who created Ladies Business Club, an events agency, in 2010.

In France, Boudoudou, who dropped out of school and worked at a fast-food restaurant to support her family, never dreamed of founding her own start-up. She said she was upset by the discrimination she faced while living in Grenoble, which was one reason she set out for Algiers.

"I expected a promotion, but the owner of the restaurant made it clear that I would not get it because my name is Lamia. This is why I decided to settle where I would not be ashamed of my name," Boudoudou explained. "Whatever we do, we remain 'Beurs'," she added, referencing the pejorative term for French people of North African descent.

Life in Algeria presents new challenges, too, however. Many French-Algerians who migrate, especially women, struggle to adapt to a different lifestyle.

"We are not seen as Algerian, nor as expats, due to the fact that we can't really speak the Algerian dialect or read it, but we are able to understand it. Besides, we don't share the same codes, particularly regarding women's rights. Actually, I had to launch my own business to feel at home," Boudoudou said.

"Now that I have the last word on everything - recruiting, training, strategy - I am much more comfortable."

When asked what they missed the most, many who have migrated give the same answer: the wide variety of cultural activities available elsewhere. 

Chakki commented on an annual human resources survey released by his firm, Paymed Consulting, saying: "Compared with Morocco or Tunisia, the quality of life in Algeria is a problem for both foreigners and foreign-born Algerians. On average, the expatriates spend 36 months in Morocco and usually ask to stay longer, whereas the expats quit Algeria after only 18 months." 

However, migration to Algeria may persist in light of the Algerian government's efforts to encourage the diaspora to invest. Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's programme for the 2014 presidential election included 14 legislative proposals concerning the seven million Algerians living abroad, according to the Algerian International Diaspora Association.

The proposals entailed boosting the diaspora's investment in Algeria, and since last January Algerians living abroad now qualify for micro-enterprise funding administered by the National Agency for Employment Support of Youth.

With global oil prices low, Algeria - a major producer - has hopes that the diaspora can help diversify its economy.

But the Algerian government has not always been willing to welcome foreign-born nationals.

"In less than 10 years, the political discourse towards the diaspora has profoundly changed," Fabbiano said. "In 2006, President Bouteflika openly criticised the binational population, claiming that the foreign-born Algerians should stop despising us. Now, Algeria looks forward to attracting the diaspora, emulating Morocco's model."

How long will they stay? Will they eventually return to France, or head on to a third country? Many French-born Algerians living in Algeria are still figuring out what their future will look like.

"None of them plans yet to move for good to Algeria," noted Fabbiano. "This experience is a springboard for pursuing an international career. Some may be interested in visiting other emerging countries."

"I don't know where I will live in five years," Chakki said. "But what I know for sure now is that I will still be an entrepreneur."

Similarly, Touil said: "I want to spend my younger life somewhere else and come back when I'll be older."

Briton Carries Mum Out Of Burning Dubai Hotel

Angus Villar was having champagne with his family on the 15th floor of the Address Downtown hotel when a huge fire broke out around 9.30pm, hours before the New Year's Eve fireworks display was held nearby.

He told Sky News that he was alerted to the fire by his father, who spotted flames on the balcony. 

"We all thought it was a joke, but I went out on the balcony and saw that the room next door to us was completely on fire," he said.

"We got to the fire escape before the fire alarm had gone off at which point there were already people running into the corridors and panicking.

"It was basically absolute pandemonium."

He said he had to carry his mother, who uses a wheelchair, out of the building.

"I basically just strapped her to my back and took her down the stairs. It was the only way of getting her out of the building unfortunately," he said.

Mr Villar says despite hotel staff doing their best to direct residents and guests out of the building the situation was chaotic. 

"It was slightly worrying that the alarm went off essentially when the building was properly on fire," he said.

"You'd expect people to let women and children go first, but it was pretty much people shoving each other down the stairs and climbing over each other.

"There were a lot of hotel staff directing people to various exits and stuff, but there was no clarity about what happened."

He said it was still unclear what had happened or when they can return to the hotel.

"Quite frankly we were in the hotel and we had no idea where to go and we have no idea what happened, so we're definitely still in a state of alarm," he said.

"I've pretty much left everything in the flat.

"I only took my valuables, i.e. my phone, my iPad and my mother."

Iran expands missile programme amid US sanctions threat

Iran successfully tested a medium-range rocket in October, which the US declared a violation of a UN Security Council resolution [EPA/File] 

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has ordered an expansion of the country's ballistic missile development programme, in a move seen as a response to possible new US sanctions against Iranian officials and businesses.

In a letter to the defense minister on Thursday, Rouhani said Iran will not accept any limitations on its missile programme. 

"Apparently, the US government is considering adding new individuals and institutions to the list of its previous oppressive sanctions," Rouhani wrote in the letter.

"It's necessary to continue with greater speed and seriousness the plan for production of various missiles needed by the armed forces within the approved defense policies."

On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US was preparing fresh sanctions against companies and individuals in Iran, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates over alleged links to Tehran's ballistic missile programme.

However, on Thursday, the newspaper said that there was no definitive timeline for when the sanctions would be imposed, citing US officials.

Iran condemned the reports, saying it has a right to develop missiles as long as they are not designed to carry nuclear warheads.

A resolution adopted in 2010 prohibits Tehran from conducting launches of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

"The US and other western countries consider that programme a national security threat," Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan said from Washington DC.

"One thing the US says it will not do is turn a blind eye to Iran's efforts to expand its ballistic missiles regime, and they say that has nothing to do with the ongoing efforts to dismantle Iran's suspected nuclear weapons programme." 

Strained relations

Also on Thursday, Iran denied American accusations that it had conducted "provocative" rocket tests near US Navy vessels patrolling the Strait of Hormuz.

Military spokesman Ramezan Shariff said that Iranian forces did not carry out any drills or fire rockets on Saturday near the key route for oil exports out of the Gulf.

The US Navy told Al Jazeera in an email that Iran's Revolutionary Guard test-fired rockets in close proximity to several US and French vessels, as well as commercial ships.

The US said the rockets were not fired in the direction of vessels from the US or any other state.

Leaders Seek A 'Greater Britain' In 2016

The Prime Minister, who has already pre-announced his retirement, says this will be the year when Britain makes "significant strides" towards prosperity, safety and security.

The Labour leader - who many of his own MPs would like to see dumped this year - says 2016 will be "the start of a journey" towards a Labour government in 2020.

Mr Cameron, however, makes only a brief reference to a referendum on EU membership, which he wants to hold this year, while Mr Corbyn does not mention it at all.

"We're fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for our country and secure our future," Mr Cameron said.

Playing down expectations, he adds: "It is a difficult negotiation with 27 other countries. But throughout we are driven by one consideration: what is best for Britain's economic and national security.

"In the end, you will decide whether we are stronger and better off with our European neighbours as part of the European Union, or on our own."

The PM's message largely echoes his Tory conference speech in October, when he talked about a "turnaround decade" and social renewal and tackling four major problems: home ownership, poverty, social mobility and extremism.

On extremism, with Britain on high terror alert on New Year's Eve, Mr Cameron says: "This is one of the biggest issues facing our country. Of course, we need to tackle the hate preachers and take down the online material that radicalises so many.

"But we also need to address the issues that for too long have been swept under the carpet.

"Failure to integrate, the dangers of segregation and deprivation, women treated as second-class citizens, communities living side by side but never coming into contact with each other - these will all be issues that Louise Casey will address in her review for the Government later this year, and we will respond with vigour."

Mr Cameron ends with an attack on Mr Corbyn, declaring: "There are many people who will tell you how deeply they care about these issues. They will shout into megaphones, wave banners and sign petitions.

"But we're the ones who are able to make the arguments and take the difficult decisions in order to defeat these social scourges and deliver real security. So while others are on protest march, we remain on the long walk to a Greater Britain.

"We won't get there overnight. But during 2016, we will make some of our most significant strides yet."

In his message, Mr Corbyn, who faces a huge challenge in elections in London, Scotland, Wales and England's town halls in May, says: "I was elected leader of the Labour Party three months ago on a mandate for change.

"And during this last three months we've challenged the government on working tax credits, and defeated them.

"We challenged them on cuts to the police service, and defeated them. We challenged them on running the prison service in Saudi Arabia, and we defeated them.

ve to challenge them much more next year. Much more on their cuts to local government and their lack of investment in the needs of our economy and our people. We want to build an economy fit for the twenty-first century.

"2016 will be the start of a journey to deliver a Labour government in 2020. A Labour government that will deliver a fairer, more just, more prosperous society that we can all enjoy. A society that works for all, not just the few."

Many Labour MPs will be surprised by Mr Corbyn's final sentence, which sounds remarkably like Tony Blair's "the many, not the few" slogan.

They will claim it rings hollow at a time when he is said to be poised to sack moderates from his Shadow Cabinet in a so-called "revenge reshuffle".

In her New Year message, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon calls on Scots to adopt a "can-do culture" and promises to give strong support to the enterprise and innovation that would boost productivity, increase economic growth and create skilled jobs.

Microsoft didn’t warn Chinese victims of government hack

Microsoft experts concluded several years ago that Chinese authorities had hacked into more than a thousand Hotmail email accounts, particularly those of international leaders of China’s Tibetan and Uighur minorities, but it decided not to tell the victims, allowing the hackers to continue their campaign, according to former employees of the company.

On Dec. 30, after a series of requests for comment from Reuters, Microsoft said it would change its policy and will tell its email customers when it suspects there has been a government hacking attempt.

The company also confirmed for the first time that it had not called, emailed or otherwise told the Hotmail users that their electronic correspondence had been collected. The company declined to say what role the exposure of the Hotmail campaign played in its decision to make the policy shift.

The first public indication of the attacks came in May 2011, when security firm Trend Micro announced it found an email sent to someone in Taiwan that contained a miniature computer program. No direct link was immediately made with the Chinese authorities.

The program took advantage of a previously undetected flaw in Microsoft's Web pages to direct Hotmail and other free Microsoft email services to secretly forward copies of all of a recipient's incoming mail to an account controlled by the attacker.

Trend Micro found more than a thousand victims, and Microsoft patched the vulnerability before the security company announced its findings publicly.

Microsoft launched its own investigation that year, finding that some interception began in July 2009 and compromised the emails of top Uighur and Tibetan leaders in multiple countries as well as Japanese and African diplomats, human rights lawyers and others in sensitive positions in China, two former Microsoft employees said. They spoke separately and on the condition that they not be identified to avoid possible professional repercussions.

Some of the attacks came from a Chinese network known as AS4808, which has been associated with major spying campaigns, including a 2011 attack on EMC's security division RSA that U.S. intelligence officials publicly attributed to China.

To see the report, click here.

Microsoft officials did not dispute that most of the attacks came from China but said some came from elsewhere. They did not give further details.

"We weighed several factors in responding to this incident, including the fact that neither Microsoft nor the U.S. government [was] able to identify the source of the attacks, which did not come from any single country," the company said. "We also considered the potential impact on any subsequent investigation and ongoing measures we were taking to prevent potential future attacks."

In announcing the new policy, Microsoft said, "As the threat landscape has evolved, our approach has too, and we'll now go beyond notification and guidance to specify if we reasonably believe the attacker is state-sponsored."

The Chinese government "is a resolute defender of cybersecurity and strongly opposes any forms of cyberattacks," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said, adding that it punishes any offenders in accordance with the law.

"I must say that if the relevant party has some real and conclusive evidence, then it can carry out mutually beneficial cooperation with China in a constructive way in accordance with the existing channels," he said at a daily news briefing. "But if there's the frequent spreading of unfounded rumors, it will, in fact, be of no benefit to solving the problem, enhancing mutual trust and promoting cybersecurity."

The Cyberspace Administration of China did not respond to a request for comment.

After a vigorous internal debate in 2011 that reached Microsoft's top security official, Scott Charney, and its then–general counsel and now president, Brad Smith, the company decided not to alert the users clearly that anything was amiss, the former employees said. Instead, it simply forced users to pick new passwords without disclosing the reason.

The employees said it was likely the hackers by then had footholds in some of the victims' machines and therefore saw those new passwords being entered.

One of the reasons Microsoft executives gave internally in 2011 for not issuing explicit warnings was their fear of angering the Chinese government, two people familiar with the discussions said.

Microsoft's statement did not address the specific positions advocated by Smith and Charney. A person familiar with the executives' thinking said that fear of Chinese reprisals played a role, given the company's concerns about the potential impact on customers.

Microsoft said the company believed the password resets would be the fastest way to restore security to the accounts. "Our primary concern was ensuring that our customers quickly took practical steps to secure their accounts, including by forcing a password reset," the statement said.

It is unclear what happened to the email users and their correspondents as a result of Microsoft's failure to alert them to the suspected government hacking. But some of those affected said they were now deeply worried about the risks, especially for those in China.

"The Internet service providers and the email providers have an ethical and a moral responsibility to let the users know that they are being hacked," said Seyit Tumturk, the vice president of the World Uyghur Congress, whose account was among those compromised. "We are talking in people's lives here."

Unrest in Xinjiang, the Chinese region bordering Kazakhstan that is home to many Uighurs, has resulted in hundreds of people's deaths in recent years. Beijing blames Islamic militants, while human rights groups say harsh controls on Uighurs' religion and culture have led to the violence.

Until Wednesday, Microsoft rejected the idea of explicit warnings about state-sponsored hacking, such as those Google began in 2012, the former employees said. In the 2011 case, the company also opted not to send a more generic warning about hacking. Yahoo and Facebook have been issuing such warnings for several years, former employees of those companies told Reuters, including when the principal suspect was a government.

Both companies, along with Twitter, announced in recent months that they would follow Google's lead and explicitly notify users about suspected state-sponsored hacking.

Google said that on average it now issues tens of thousands of warnings about targeting every few months and that recipients often move to improve their security with two-factor authentication and other steps.

Reuters interviewed five of the Hotmail hacking victims who were identified as part of Microsoft's investigation: two Uighur leaders, a senior Tibetan figure and two people in the media dealing with matters of interest to Chinese officials.

Most recalled the password resets, but none took the procedure as an indication that anyone had read his or her email, let alone that it may have been accessed by the Chinese government.

"I thought it was normal — everybody gets it," said one of the men, a Uighur émigré now living in Europe who asked not to be named because he has family members still in China.

Another victim identified by Microsoft's internal team was Tseten Norbu of Nepal, a former president of the Tibetan Youth Congress, one of the more outspoken members of a community that has frequently clashed with Chinese officials. Another Microsoft-identified victim was Tumturk of the World Uyghur Congress, who lives in Turkey.

Microsoft investigators also saw that emails were forwarded from the account of Peter Hickman, a former U.S. diplomatic officer who arranged high-profile speeches by international figures at the National Press Club in Washington for many years.

He said he used his Hotmail account on Press Club computers for correspondence with, among others, staffers for the Tibetan government in exile, whose leader Lobsang Sangay spoke at the club in 2011; the World Uyghur Congress, whose then-President Rebiya Kadeer spoke there in 2009; and the president of Taiwan, who spoke there via video link in 2007.

Hickman said he didn't recall the password reset. He said he never suspected anything was wrong with the account, which he continues to use.

Widespread flooding hits Missouri and Illinois, with rivers still rising

Rain-swollen rivers across Missouri were still rising on Wednesday, with widespread flooding forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people, closing part of a major interstate highway and threatening to wash out scores of structures.

Several major rivers and tributaries in Missouri and Illinois were poised to crest at record levels, the National Weather Service said. Some of the rivers are expected to continue to rise until Saturday. 

Federal officials, meanwhile, continue to monitor 19 vulnerable levees on the rising Mississippi River and its tributaries, warning that hundreds of homes in the two states could be threatened by a rare winter flood.  

The Meramec River near St. Louis is expected to climb more than 3 feet above the previous record by late this week. At least 20 deaths over several days in Missouri and Illinois were blamed on flooding, mostly involving vehicles that drove onto swamped roadways.

“It's very clear that Missouri is in the midst of a very historic and dangerous flooding event,” Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said during a Tuesday news conference.

On Tuesday, the Mississippi River spilled over the top of a levee at West Alton, Missouri, a town of approximately 520 people about 20 miles north of St. Louis. Mayor William Richter ordered any residents who had not already evacuated to get out of harm's way.

Across the river in Alton, Illinois, dozens of volunteers helped place sandbags where water is expected to rise. Mayor Brant Walker said in a statement that “even with our best efforts of sandbagging and pumping,” flooding was expected at least in the basements of the downtown business district.

In Union, another eastern Missouri town, water from the normally docile Bourbeuse River reached the roofs of a McDonald's, a QuikTrip and several other businesses. The river reached an all-time high Tuesday, nearly 20 feet above flood stage.

Interstate 44 was closed near the central Missouri town of Rolla, and a 10-mile section of Interstate 70 was shut down in southern Illinois before it was reopened late Tuesday afternoon. Hundreds of smaller roads and highways were also closed in the two states, and flood warnings were in effect.

Nixon activated the National Guard to assist with security in evacuated areas and to help keep road closure sites clear.

In southern Illinois, the Department of Corrections transferred an unspecified number of inmates from a state prison to other locations because of flooding risks. The facility has nearly 3,700 inmates.

The Mississippi River is expected to reach nearly 15 feet above flood stage on Thursday at St. Louis, which would be the second-worst flood on record, behind only the devastating 1993 flood.

Alderman Larry Arnowitz said up to 500 homes could be threatened if the River des Peres — a man-made storm and sewage channel that flows through southern St. Louis into the Mississippi River — rises much more than projected. But he was confident that with no rain in the forecast for the next several days and with the help of thousands of sandbags, everything would be OK.

The high water was blamed on the shutdown of a wastewater treatment plant on Monday just south of St. Louis, causing sewage to go directly into nearby rivers and streams. The Metropolitan Sewer District of St. Louis said the Fenton wastewater treatment plant, which is designed for 6.75 million gallons per day of flow, was treating nearly 24 million gallons per day at the time of the malfunction.

One of the two wastewater plants in Springfield, Missouri, also failed, allowing partially treated sewage to flow into a river.

The U.S. Coast Guard closed a 5-mile portion of the Mississippi River near St. Louis because of flooding. Capt. Martin Malloy cited high water levels and fast currents in the river, which is a vital transportation hub for barges that carry agricultural products and other goods.

In central and southern Illinois, major flooding was occurring along the Kankakee, Illinois, Sangamon and Vermilion rivers.

In Granite City, Illinois, about 30 residents of a flooded trailer park idled in a Red Cross emergency shelter in a church basement. The park's property manager told Shirley Clark, 56, and other displaced residents that it could be another 10 to 12 days before they would be able to return to their homes.

“We need help over here,” said Clark, a diabetic who said she left behind her insulin supply. “We're just holding on.”

Burundians will fight AU troops if they ‘violate’ borders, says president

would fight against any peacekeepers sent into the country by the African Union, the nation’s president declared Wednesday in his first public response to the regional body’s plan to put an end to spiraling violence.

An uptick in political rhetoric reminiscent of that which preceded neighboring Rwanda’s 1994 genocide has led to international calls for dialogue between Burundi’s rival factions. Many fear tensions are edging Burundi toward a return to out-and-out bloodshed; a decade after the country’s 12-year civil war between Hutu rebels and a Tutsi-led army came to an end.

In an effort to avoid that outcome, the African Union (AU) said this month it was ready to send 5,000 peacekeepers to protect civilians caught up in months of violence, invoking for the first time powers to intervene in a member state against its will.

But President Pierre Nkurunziza has warned against such  a move

"Everyone has to respect Burundi borders," Nkurunziza said Wednesday in comments broadcast on state radio.

"In case they violate those principles, they will have attacked the country and every Burundian will stand up and fight against them ... The country will have been attacked and it will respond," he said. Other government officials have already said any peacekeepers arriving without Burundi's permission would violate its sovereignty.

Nkurunziza also reiterated the government's position that any opposition members who had taken part in a failed coup in May should be barred from participating in peace talks, which kicked off this week in Kampala, Uganda.

"We saw them the other day in Kampala as government opponents," he said. "We can’t accept this. They must be arrested... Instead of bringing them to talks, they should instead bring them to the court."

The talks, brokered by the East African Community regional bloc, were expected to reconvene in Tanzania next month, but it remains unclear if Burundi's government will participate if they do not agree on which individuals represent the opposition.

The AU on Wednesday threatened to sanction Burundi's rival factions if they failed to attend peace talks next month, as it pushes the government to accept a peacekeeping force.

Ugandan officials said talks would resume on January 6 but the Burundi government delegation said "no consensus" had been reached on the date. AU Commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma warned of sanctions if violence continues and talks do not go ahead.

"All those whose action could jeopardize the inter-Burundian dialogue, including attacks by armed groups against governmental facilities and other targets, as well as refusal to respond to the invitation of the mediator, shall be subjected to sanctions," Dlamini-Zuma said in a statement seen Wednesday.

She gave no further details of possible sanctions, which have been threatened before, but called for "unreserved cooperation" with the peace process "in order to put an end to the violence."

More than 400 people have been killed and 220,000 have fled to neighboring countries since the crisis erupted in April, triggered by Nkurunziza's bid for a third term. Opposition groups took to the streets saying he was violating constitutional term limits. But he pointed to a court order allowing his campaign and was re-elected in a disputed July vote.

Continued clashes and targeted assassinations in the central African nation have unsettled a region where memories of bloodshed on a large scale are still raw.

Burundi has an ethnic divide similar to the one that led to neighboring Rwanad’a 1994 genocide in which 800,000 people — mainly Tutsis and moderate Hutus — were massacred.

Many Burundi observers said there has been an escalation of dangerous rhetoric not heard since then.