Burundi: Growing insecurity in Burundi; the authorities minimize the situation and the population laments.
Since August 23, 2020, groups of rebel fighters have infiltrated Burundi from the DRCongo. The first group to land on the shores of Lake Tanganyika and which headed for Bugarama in the province of Rumonge proceeded to the looting in the shops in their path; he took people hostage and forced them to transport the loot. Some would be released, others killed. If this is the only group that would have entered from this side, it was made up of several fighters because very quickly they made themselves heard in Mukike, in Muramvya, in Mwaro, in Nyanza lac, Makamba. This group was pursued by certain elements of the security forces and imbonerakure, but no combatants were neither killed nor captured. The information circulating says that it is the imbonerakure who direct the law enforcement agencies in search of these rebel elements. This suggests that they are diverting them from the route taken by these combatants and rather directing them towards the localities inhabited by Tutsis and members of the CNL. Instead of looking for the fighters, these security forces are content to arrest young Tutsis and CNL members accusing them of complicity with the rebels. Except in Bugarama, Mukike and Burambi where they killed people, in other localities, they pass quickly without aggression like combatants in recognition of the place.
Another group would have entered from Gihanga’s side in Bubanza on August 29, 2020 and would have headed towards Musigati to reach the Kibira forest. This is probably the same group that has just launched an action in the Nyarumanga area of Matongo commune of Kayanza Province on September 10, 2020. 6 people are said to be killed. What is not said is that 04 soldiers from the Ruganza position are also said to have died, hit from behind by bullets from friends as they fled the position, intimidated by the large number of fighters. And this was not the first time that a man and a woman would be killed in the same locality on September 2, 2020. Nothing was said about this attack. The same fighters are reported today between Kayanza and Muramvya in the locality of Rusarenda
The reaction of the authorities seems to disorient the population which does not stop lamenting. At first, the authorities minimized these attacks to such an extent that they did not even want to say a word about it. Only the governor of Rumonge agreed to speak as soon as these fighters entered. After the attack on Nyarumanga in Matongo, Colonel Remy Cishahayo, governor of Kayanza broke his silence and spoke to the media; he, too, played down the attack and called on the population to be vigilant. The National Defence Force spokesperson was never heard to say a word about these attacks; it’s as if it doesn’t exist. Even President Ndayishimiye, in his raids in the provinces to officially present and install the governors, he never mentioned these cases of attacking fighters in the country.
A brutal and senseless reaction was that of the command of the Navy which has proceeded on September 11, 2020 to the fire of two fishing boats and the arrest of 8 fishermen on Lake Tanganyika. Our source in the Burundian navy told us that the order had been given, 5 days ago, to the fishermen not to exceed the waters of Burundi anymore because the border with the DRCongo is closed. They were surprised to see this group violate the instructions and moreover bring back with them two Congolese. They did not find any weapons aboard these boats; those who were on board are all Burundian fishermen known to all, apart from the two Congolese. How dare the navy decide to set fire to the two boats which, according to the fishermen, would cost more than 5 million francs drunk? A free loss, both for the population and for the country.
This reaction shows how our authorities are taking hasty and thoughtless measures, and not caring about the public’s best interests. The power of Evariste Ndayishimiye is also afraid of these incursions and of the reception that these fighters would receive inside the country. It is for this reason that he sends his intelligence services to arrest and ill-treat Tutsis and members of the CNL in violation of the law. On September 12, 2020, Désiré Uwamahoro, the famous Mbawa, Salvator in charge of the SNR in the town hall of Bujumbura and Ezechiel, an SNR informant, arrested many members of the cnl in Ruziba. Some were loaded into their stripped pickups. The families do not know where they were taken.
The soldiers and police who are not in the circle of the military clique which makes all the decisions do not manage to understand the silence of the authorities in the face of these rebel attacks. They do not understand why clear orders are not given to fight them. Some like those of Ruganza’s position in Nyarumanga in Matongo commune, under anger, in their stampede, do not hesitate to launch words like: ” they go and attack Neva ( Ndayishimiye Evariste) who stole their victory and we leave peace. ” They do not understand the reasons for the resumption of war after seeing its consequences for more than 10 years in the bush.
The population is worried about this resumption of hostilities because they believed the war was over. She throws the blame on the police who do not protect her and who, on the other hand, force them to make night patrols. Whoever does not show up for rounds must pay 10 thousand almond francs or he is accused of complicity with the enemy. The question that remains unanswered is: Where is the peace that Gitega’s government continues to boast about?
URN HITAMWONEZA believes that the rebels we are talking about can be imbonerakure organized to simulate an attack and thus allow the Ndayishimiye power to complete the genocide of Tutsis and political opponents. Whether it is Red Tabara (since he claimed responsibility for some attacks refusing others) or other armed groups, there is nothing to indicate that they would not be complicit with Gitega’s power given their modus operandi. Future negotiations with these groups to block any possibility of full-scale war would be behind. To all of them, we demand that the lives of innocent citizens be safeguarded. The Burundian people must also stand up as one and demand that power be spared from another war because it has suffered enough. WhatsApp contact: +31685638237 Email: [email protected] Twitter: URN HITAMWONEZA