Burundi: Why should Gitega’s government use manipulation to repatriate Burundian refugees?
The report is bitter. The government of President Ndayishimiye Evariste uses manipulation or force to repatriate Burundian refugees. Indeed, what he is doing in Tanzania / what he has always done in collaboration with the Tanzanian government is outlawed. He always sent his imbonerakure to mistreat these refugees. They are regularly kidnapped and then imprisoned or killed. All markets have been closed to them, leaving the camp prohibited despite what they receive from UNHCR seems insufficient. One way to push them to force their way back. In DR Congo, they have just spent months without assistance, some accused of serving as a nursery for rebel groups operating in the forests of this great country. 24 families made up of 41 refugees from Murongwe camp were arrested on August 2, 2020 by the Congolese army as they tried to sneak in. They returned to the camp. It is said that these people used to come home and return to DR Congo when the time came to distribute aid. There too, we suspect a hand of the government in collaboration with local officials in DR Congo to create untenable living conditions for the refugees so that they return to their homeland. A similar situation is also observed at Camp Nakival in Uganda. The situation was better in Mahama camp in Rwanda. There is still order there; people still live in more or less humane conditions. The Gitaga government also infiltrated this camp. It is visible that the petition addressed to President Ndayishimiye dated July 26, 2020 is pure manipulation. There is undoubtedly the hand of the government (the spokesperson for the police indicated on August 3, 2020 that they were still in contact with refugees from this camp and that the police were helping to secretly repatriate some of them); there is also the hand of certain politicians like those of CNARED who have made no secret of their intention to return. Jean Minani has already said that they have just one meeting with a delegation of the Ndayishimiye power to finalize the conditions for their repatriation. It is also known that Jean Minani is only asking for the rehabilitation of his hotel in Kirundo and probably other private property that would be damaged. It is also an unfortunate observation that this political platform never played the role of the political opposition, but that some of them were running for the cnddfdd, others were only for personal interests. Remember Anicet Niyonkuru was the first to return, with a few refugees behind him who he was able to convince; supposedly he wants to participate in the elections to make a difference. Its objective was just to smash the opposition in exile and consequently strengthen the cnddfdd in its electoral masquerade. To everyone’s surprise, the cnddfdd hasn’t thanked him yet; he is still waiting. But, the information that reaches us says that he is waiting for the resumption of flights to return to Europe. These are the kind of politicians the country has. They are content to manipulate the refugees after negotiating with Gitega’s power to convince them to come back with big number of them, they turn them into shields that they put in front of them and come back behind to reclaim benefits promised by the power. Do not be surprised if tomorrow all the CNARED is packing up to land in Bujumbura. And that is their most absolute right. But let them stop playing Evariste Ndayishimiye’s game by manipulating the poor refugees in the camps by guaranteeing them security that does not exist. Whether their safety is guaranteed or not is up to them alone. For those from Mahama who have just petitioned President Ndayishimiye, it is obvious that this is pure manipulation. It was noticed, after investigation, that the lists they drew up did not reflect reality. There are people who were surprised to see themselves on these lists without being consulted. The government of Rwanda and the UNHCR were quick to announce that they are ready to help any refugee who wants to return to their native country, provided that they express this wish individually. It is therefore not Evariste Ndayishimiye who will come forcibly withdraw them from the camp to repatriate them.
Burundians should also be careful of Jérémie Minani who is manipulating public opinion with ineffective declarations of war. This unstable politician, liar and manipulator who was half of his functions as chairman of the RDB Party, accused of embezzling 200 thousand dollars intended for the party, was a member of CNARD, then turned to CFOR Arusha. But today what he is saying is his own and may be with a team hitherto unknown. Asked by the media if he has the means to wage war, he replies that it is the people who will support him as if he has held a popular consultation for their approval. Would war be one of the means of solving the Burundian problem? Some will say yes, others no. If this is really the means that remains to liberate Burundi, should it be declared or should it be done? Should we first warn or caution the government before waging this war on it? It shows that he knows he won’t, it’s just a way of manipulating public opinion.
URN HITAMWONEZA advises Burundian refugees to close their ears to these manipulated and manipulative politicians and to assess for themselves whether the conditions of security are guaranteed before returning. Otherwise, those who take an unfortunate adventure will have no more opportunities to flee. Everyone is aware of the people who die every day and whose beheaded corpses are found. The perpetrators of these crimes are not known until today. In other words, the killing machine is still there. The government is looking for all manoeuver to bring the refugees back in spite of this. He puts in a lot of effort because he knows the safety he praises doesn’t come out on the pitch. Only he tries to hide the big signs of it. Particular attention should be paid to the survivors of the 1993 genocide who are in internally displaced persons sites. Let no one move from where he is. If the government wanted these displaced people well, let it build villages, supply them with water and electricity, and accommodate Hutus and Tutsis, and initiate development projects. This is the immediate solution.