HEAVY explosions and the sound of gunfire have echoed over the northern suburbs of Bujumbura, the ninth day of a fierce assault on the Burundian capital by ethnic Hutu rebels. Residents said they had seen armoured vehicles of the Tutsi-led Burundi army advancing on the poor Hutu suburb of Kinama, where FNL (National Liberation Front) rebels have been entrenched since February 24. Many families have fled Ngagara in the last three days, and thousands of civilians from Kinama and nearby Kamenge have also been displaced. – Reuters