Burundi: Repatriation of refugees from Mahama continues despite the disorder caused by some who are manipulated by the power of Gitega
Since the start of the repatriation of Burundian refugees in Mahama camp, the movement has never stopped; every week, there are refugees who return to their country, Burundi. This October 29, 2020, is the 8th round, with 163 repatriated families, for a total of 428 refugees who returned voluntarily.
We note, however, that the number of people returning is decreasing compared to those who entered in the first rounds. The reason is simple, it’s Covid 19. A lot of refugees registered to return to the country miss this opportunity because they test positive for Covid 19. The information at our disposal is that refugees are starting to notice who hesitate to register for voluntary repatriation because they are afraid of the risk of finding themselves positive during the Covid 19 test because it is mandatory before having the authorization to return to the native country. Which is quite logical to avoid the spread of pandemic especially that the one or that tested positive benefits from free care by the Rwandan government.
However, we still observe behaviour among the refugees which is likely to disturb the peace of mind of the refugees who are waiting their turn, or who do not yet feel safe in their country of origin and who ask to stay in the camp.
We knew from the start of this repatriation a group of 5 people who signed a petition asking President Ndayishimiye to do everything to repatriate them; a rather illegal and irregular procedure which had no other goals than to tarnish the image of Rwanda, unjustly accused by the power of Gitega of taking Burundian refugees hostage who wish to return to their country.
Today, we notice once again a certain Ciza Alexandre who lies that he is a teacher and who has just published a press release and which addresses it especially to the President of the Republic of Rwanda; an unusual procedure which rather shows the idiocy of its author, no doubt manipulated by other blind people like him. Who really is this man who believes him to be a defender of the rights of the refugees from Mahama who did not mandate him? He is a police agent who fled Burundi following a disagreement with his former leader Allain Guillaume Bunyoni. The famous Ciza Alexandre was one of the police agent who played an important role in a documentary aimed at raising awareness of local police. The project was apparently funded by the Netherlands. Money for this work may have been released, but Ciza Alexandre would not have had his share as agreed. So he started making a noise and his boss reportedly gave the order to corner him (why not make him wear the red beret – for those who don’t know the expression – it’s to cut off his head). It is then he who begins to declare that the refugees are mistreated, intimidated, that they do not receive what they need to live, when the others instead demand to return to their homeland. Mahama camp remains the only camp that has always enjoyed total security for refugees (you hear what is done in the Mutenderi- nduta- nyarugusu camps in Tanzania), it is the only camp in the sub- region which has always been regularly supplied as it should (the refugees in DR Congo spent 5 months without any assistance). In other words, this former policeman, who can also be manipulated, has no other objectives than to do like the first: to smear the image of the host country.
URN HITAMWONEZA asks the refugees to have the courage to denounce such acts and to indicate in time to the camp officials these individuals who are only seeking to disrupt the order and security of the camp so that they are judged up to the task of their faults. Punishing them and then repatriating them as a priority would be one of the solutions. In the meantime, they must be removed from the rest of the community so as not to poison the weakest
For those who hesitate to register for fear of testing for Covid 19, the UNHCR and the Rwandan government, in collaboration with the power of Gitega who is clamouring for his men to return, could consult to see if it is legally acceptable to let them return with their Covid 19 in order to be tested and treated in their native country. It would be one less burden on the host country.
We thank and encourage all those who give themselves body and soul to free the repatriation volunteers and facilitate their return to their native country, but also we insist that those who still feel insecure in Burundi and who remain in the camp be protected and assisted in accordance with the law governing refugees. We in turn ask them for exemplary behaviour towards the authorities and our Rwandan brothers. WhatsApp contact: +31685638237
Email: [email protected] Twitter: URN HITAMWONEZA
YouTube: TUVAHE TUJAHE TV