On 28th December 2000, 21 people were shot dead during an attack on a bus – bearing the ill-fated name “Titanic Express” – close to the Burundian capital Bujumbura. Those killed were Tutsis and foreigners, specifically targeted because of their ethnicity. One Hutu passenger who was freed unharmed was given a chilling message for the authorities: “We’re going to kill them all and there’s nothing you can do”.

Among the dead were Burundian-Canadian Arthur Kabunda, British aid worker Charlotte Wilson, her Burundian fiance Richard Ndereyimana, and a number of Rwandan citizens. Several of the victims were children.

Despite repeated promises, the Burundian government has taken no action to prosecute those responsible for the Titanic Express attack. In 2005, amid warnings that failure to do justice over past crimes would lead to a resurgence in violence in future, all parties to the Arusha peace accord – which ended Burundi’s decade-long civil war – agreed to establish a “Special Chamber” to prosecute those responsible for the worst atrocities.

Yet this promise has never been delivered. Today, the situation in Burundi is worsening again, with each week bringing news of more deadly attacks. If the cycle of violence is to be broken, it is vital that those responsible for mass-murder are held to account for their crimes.

On December 28th 2015, the Alliance for Justice will mark the 15th anniversary of the Titanic Express massacre with a candlelit vigil close to the Burundian Embassy in Trafalgar Square, London. We will also be protesting against the ongoing violence which continues to claim lives today. Please join us if you can, and share with any others who might be able to attend:

Vigil to remember those killed in the December 28th 2000 Titanic Express massacre

December 28th 2015, 3pm, Trafalgar Square, London

Followed by a protest calling for an end to the ongoing violence and impunity in Burundi

Supported by the family of Charlotte Wilson and by members of the Burundian and Congolese UK diaspora

For more information please contact richardcameronwilson AT yahoo DOT co DOT UK