Burundi: The mobilization / sensitization teams take turns in Mahama; the manipulation of Ndayishimiye power continues.
The first group of 497 Burundians (those who appeared on the UNHCR manifesto) who were at the Mahama refugee camp returned on 8/27/2020. They were welcomed at the Gasenyi / Nemba border by a large government delegation led by the Super Minister, General Gervais Ndirakobuca alias Ndakugarika. To see his enthusiasm in welcoming these refugees, it is not at all out of love; rather, it is a successful mission.
Indeed, Evariste Ndayishimiye and his military clique had difficulty penetrating and disturbing the refugees from Mahama and forcing them to return as they did in the refugee camps in Tanzania and DR Congo. It is unthinkable to find Rwasa Saidi, Cimpaye Felix and Ndayishimiye Vocatus in Muramvya prison; Nkunzimana Anaclet, Ndayikeza Radjabu and Kazimana Emmanuel in Bubanza prison. The 6 were kidnapped in the Mutenderi refugee camp by the Tanzanian police on the night of July 22 to 23, 2020. Moise Ndayisenga would be arrested in October 2019 in the Nduta camp, he found himself in the hands of the SNR men in Burundi who tortured him to death and then handed over to his family back home, while others who had fled with him were still in Nduta camp in Tanzania. Many others were abducted by the Tanzanian police in collaboration with the SNR of Burundi and were killed; the families did not even see any dead bodies. What a serious violation of international law governing refugees!
Not being able to do whatever they want in Rwanda like they do in Tanzania have always pissed off cnddfdd power leaders. Whether Ndakugarika manages to trigger the start of the repatriation of refugees from Mahama is a battle won. Getting there was not an easy fight. They had to go through the manipulation of many people: politicians including Jean Minani, Anicet Niyonkuru and others (to convince their followers), refugees from the cnddfdd or satellite political parties, promising them all and wonders. It is said that 80% of those who register come from the provinces of Muyinga and Kirundo, bordering Rwanda.
The first group that was approached and that did the bulk of the work is the group of 05 signatories of the petition addressed to Evariste Ndayishimiye to ask him to repatriate them; which is a procedure against the law. They were well aware that this work is the responsibility of UNHCR with the government that hosts them. It is an action done in agreement with the power of Gitega. Just a pretext to allow Ndayishimiye and his clique to attack neighbouring Rwanda by accusing him free of charge of taking Burundian refugees hostage.
The group of 05 signatories of the letter is made up of Emannuel Bizimana, Celeus Hatungimana, Romuald Ndayikengurutse, Diomede Ndagijimana and Eric Ntaganzwa. It is this group that the cnddfdd power used to sensitize the rest of the refugees. They even used dishonest methods by registering people not consulted on the lists, just to show that there are a lot of people asking to return
Emmanuel Bizimana was a municipal councillor in Bugabira, a former member of the youth league of the cnddfdd imbonerakure, he turned to Jean Minani’s frodebu nyakuri, then again to cnddfdd; therefore, an unstable man, easy to handle.
A native of Giteranyi, Eric Ntaganzwa was a judge of the residence court, he escaped from prison on corruption cases.
Romuald Ndayikengurutse is a former palipehutu who has always had altercations with the imbonerakure and who ultimately converted to save his skin; he even almost died following a hammer blow given to him in the head by the parliamentary corporal Gihahe. He came home with a criminal record of a fraud committed in the Mahama camp. He should normally stay to close this case, but the 04 other signatories of the petition refused to return without him, a kind of negative solidarity. The Rwandan government wanted to avoid unnecessary problems, pretexts from the Burundian government to shout once again that it is Rwanda that is preventing the refugees from returning; otherwise, this man should answer for his actions first.
The rest of the refugees from Mahama heave a sigh of relief after the departure of these men who had become ungovernable; these last days, they did not stop revolting the rest of the refugees, no longer respected the administration of the camp, just to seek a pretext to sow disorder in the camp and thus push the government to apply severe sanctions to them and thus find grounds, together with the power of Gitega, to smear it.
Remember that Pierre Nkurikiye said just after receiving this petition (reaction: at the beginning of August 2020; the petition was written on July 26, 2020) that when the first refugees return, the Burundian government should check whether the 5 signatories appear on the list; otherwise he would not agree to receive them. This is the trap that the Rwandan government has avoided.
In short, the group of 05 signatories had very close links with the power of Gitega; they were on his mission.
According to our sources, they have formed other groups who remained in Mahama, who will continue the mobilization / sensitization to convince everyone to return. The group that is in action today will return with the second group which is scheduled for September 2020, another group will take over to continue this mission, until all the refugees return to their homeland. These groups have not yet revealed themselves, they work in discretion. Their method of raising awareness is based on a very gentle dialogue; while talking about repatriation, they show their interlocutors the misdeeds of staying in the camp, the advantages of returning to the country, the promises of the Mvyeyi government. They show them that the imbonerakure are no longer aggressive as before, that even those who make mistakes are arrested and punished. Here is the tempting speech of these groups, which generally have relations with the cnddfdd and the parties of its movement.
According to well-informed sources, during the first repatriation organized on August 27, 2020, teams of members of the national intelligence service were deployed in Kirundo on the border, with lists and photos of refugees who participated in the 2015 demonstrations, in order to stop them on the spot. Someone would have advised them not to make such a sudden movement at the risk of discouraging those who remain behind and halting the movement back to the fold. This is only a postponement. These people will be gently arrested when they reach their hills or neighbourhoods of origin. From there they will even receive the patriotic training that the government had planned to give them at the transit site, were it not for a logistical problem raised by the UNHCR which cannot support them for 4 days.
URN HITAMWONEZA has no intention of preventing Burundian refugees from returning to their country. We don’t just want people to go like sheep to the slaughterhouse, manipulated by groups sent by Gitega’s power. Do not get carried away by promises that will not be honoured; do not listen to the tantalizing speeches of manipulators / crooks. Everyone is called upon to do soul-searching and a rigorous analysis of the politico-security situation prevailing in the country in order to make a conscious decision to return. We will continue to keep you informed of the delaying tactics of the groups of people sent among you to infiltrate you and raise your awareness to return in spite of you, we will also inform you daily on the security situation of the country from day to day, so that you can make your decisions in a thoughtful and responsible manner.