Intahe
Prosper Bazombanza, Vice President of the Republic of Burundi, addresses the General Assembly. UN Photo/Cia Pak

Burundi asked to investigate Gitega prison fire

February 7, 2022
51
Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye addresses the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021 at U.N. headquarters. © 2021 AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

Ndayishimiye wins international support despite lukewarm reform agenda

January 24, 2022
54
  • Home
  • Victim Voices
  • Special Reports
  • Opinion & Analysis
  • Downloads
  • About Us
  • frFrançais
  • biKirundi
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Victim Voices
  • Special Reports
  • Opinion & Analysis
  • Downloads
  • About Us
  • frFrançais
  • biKirundi
No Result
View All Result
Intahe
No Result
View All Result
Home Editors Picks

Fear and loathing among the refugees of Ngozi

Intahe Admin by Intahe Admin
in Editors Picks, Human Rights Violations, Refugee Camps
0
Fear and loathing among the refugees of Ngozi

Photo credits: ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/Getty Images

By Monia Arakaza

Every morning, gangs of youth pour into the Ruhororo commune, of Ngozi province chanting anti-Tutsi slogans. The youth are members of the pro-government Imbonerakure militia, and the targets of their taunts are some 15,000 Tutsis who fled massacres in their homes after the assassination of President Melchior Ndadaye in October 1993.

RelatedPosts

Prosper Bazombanza, Vice President of the Republic of Burundi, addresses the General Assembly. UN Photo/Cia Pak

Burundi asked to investigate Gitega prison fire

February 7, 2022
51
Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye addresses the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021 at U.N. headquarters. © 2021 AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

Ndayishimiye wins international support despite lukewarm reform agenda

January 24, 2022
54
President Évariste Ndayishimiye’s inauguration ceremony in Gitega, Burundi, on June 18, 2020. Ndayishimiye took power two months early after the abrupt death of his predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza. © 2020 Berthier Mugiraneza/AP Photo

Burundi welcomes end of sanctions, but scrutiny on human rights record continues

December 2, 2021
98

The youth circle any random number of the 2,400 households. “They accuse us of harboring the fighters and some of our young people are often and unjustly arrested after being accused of being rebels,” one resident said.

Political tensions in Burundi have seen local authorities finger people displaced in the 1993 war of giving intelligence to armed rebels based in Rwanda and giving them help. Even though Tutsi and Hutus straddle Rwanda and Burundi, a Tutsi-led government is in charge in Rwanda while Pierre Nkurunziza’s government in Burundi is controlled by the Hutu.

Authorities insist that since there is peace in Burundi, the refugee site is unnecessary, and must be closed so people from the interior of the country can return to homes they abandoned in 1993.

Internally displaced persons who have lived at the site for over 15 years fear that local authorities are using dirty tricks to break camp, and deny helping the Rwanda-based rebels.

“All that the leaders accuse us of is unfounded. Even if they were asked to give the names of these fighters who would be housed in our homes, no one would be able to mention even a single name,” says N. Bernard, a refugee at the Ruhororo camp.

“We live with fear in the gut when the authorities and ruling party officials start to blame us for supporting the rebels; it is a situation that puts us in danger,” says Reverien K.

“We are not ready to go back to our homes,” he adds.

The refugees left all their belongings behind as they fled massacres that followed the assassination of President Ndadaye in Rwanda alongside President Juvenal Habyarimana. The refugees say the people who forced them flee are still on the hills.

“During the 1993 massacres, all members of my family were killed. The executioners are still there and they do not worry about anything. We can not go home when justice is not done yet. I prefer to die here in this camp,”  says sexagenarian Paul M.

The refugees demand that they be heard to and that leaders stop intimidating them.

ShareTweetShare
Previous Post

Death, arbitrary arrests continue to define life in Burundi

Next Post

Death creeps on Burundians from week to week

Next Post
Death creeps on Burundians from week to week

Death creeps on Burundians from week to week

Please login to join discussion

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Burundi in Pictures
  • Editors Picks
  • Featured Post
  • Human Rights Violations
  • Justice
  • Political Intimidation
  • Press Freedom
  • Refugee Camps
  • Rule of Law
  • Top Picks
  • Top Stories
  • Uncategorized
  • Victims
  • Video Post

Recent News

Prosper Bazombanza, Vice President of the Republic of Burundi, addresses the General Assembly. UN Photo/Cia Pak

Burundi asked to investigate Gitega prison fire

February 7, 2022
Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye addresses the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021 at U.N. headquarters. © 2021 AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

Ndayishimiye wins international support despite lukewarm reform agenda

January 24, 2022

© 2019 Ce projet est réalisé par Journalists for Justice et est soutenu par collaboration avec le programme de Justice Internationale de la section Kenyane de la Commission Internationale de Juristes.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Victim Voices
  • Special Reports
  • Opinion and Analysis
  • Downloads
  • About Us
  • frFrançais
  • biKirundi

© 2019 Ce projet est réalisé par Journalists for Justice et est soutenu par collaboration avec le programme de Justice Internationale de la section Kenyane de la Commission Internationale de Juristes.

  • frFrançais (French)
  • biKirundi (Kirundi)