[6] As of September 2004, Gatumba refugee camp had no people staying except the security guards who were protecting the school building and one of the survivors because of the massacre which took place on 13 August 2004.
However, the population also had people from Bembe, Vira and Fulero ethnic groups.
These people were among the 20,000 refugees ho had fled DRC because of the Kivu conflict[7] The rebel group who were armed with machetes, automatic weapons and grenades attacked the people at night when they were sleeping in the plastic hangars within the camp.
They massacred people which included women, men and families by burning.
[9] After the massacre, 500 refugees survived and 400 of them were relocated to a nearby school and 100 located for their own accommodation in Bujumbura.