Govt reassures Burundian refugees of security

Burundian refugees in the country should not worry about their security as responsible organs will not let anyone harm them, a senior government official has said. Antoine Ruvebana, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDMAR), delivered the message to the thousands of Burundian refugees currently at Mahama refugee camp in Kirehe District on Tuesday. His remarks were in response to concerns from the refugees who expressed fear of possible infiltration and harassment from alleged Burundian state operatives and allied militia. “I can reassure you that the camp is secure…looking at its setup, the organisation, and the collaboration that exists between security agencies, surrounding communities as well as your own security measures in the context of community policing,” he told the refugees. He added: “We have not had any security incident in the camp since its establishment five weeks ago. That is proof that the camp is secure.” By Tuesday, the vast refugee camp that’s close to the border with Tanzania was home to 23, 791 people. Burundian refugees started streaming into Rwanda in late March claiming they were fleeing persecution from a pro-government militia, known as Imbonerakure (Kirundi for ‘the foresighted’) and possible violence by the group. Many said they decided to flee their country after Imbonerakure had put them on notice that they would not hesitate to eliminate them since they were seen reluctant to support President Pierre Nkurunziza’s third term bid – a move critics say violates a 2005 peace deal that helped return peace to Burundi as well as the constitution, both of which provide for a maximum of two five-year presidential terms. Bujumbura has rejected claims members of the Imbonerakure were armed and involved in human rights abuses, saying the group was instead the youth wing of the ruling CNDD-FDD party. More than 100,000 Burundians have since crossed into Rwanda, Tanzania and DR Congo, with the majority having fled their home country in the aftermath of the April 26 CNDD-FDD’s decision to front President Pierre Nkurunziza as its flag-bearer in the upcoming elections, scheduled June 26. Pro-Nkurunziza’s camp also insists the president has every right to seek re-election since he was elected to his first term by Parliament, and not through a popular vote as laid out in the constitution. The constitutional court has since validated Nkurunziza’s re-election bid even as the ruling was undermined by the fleeing of the court’s vice president who later alleged pressure from government. At Mahama camp, several refugees who spoke to The New Times on Tuesday expressed fears for their safety, with some suggesting that members of the Imbonerakure have infiltrated the camp. They say some members of Imbonerakure and state operatives had crossed the border into Rwanda posing as refugees. They claim they had seen people in the camp who “cannot be identified as genuine refugees” and are either members of Imbonerakure or government agents. A youthful refugee volunteering with one of the aid agencies in the camp, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of possible reprisal, said: “The camp is huge and there are some unmonitored entry points. People like me who come from Bujumbura are being watched by security services back home.” “The man behind all this is called Gen. Adolphe Nshimirimana. His network has infiltrated the refugee camps and is sending back information. This is not an imagination. His people ‘fled’ with us posing as refugees which they are not.” A businesswoman who arrived from the Burundian capital Bujumbura said the Government of Rwanda and aid agencies had done “a commendable job” on their security and provision of basic services but insisted that their fear is real. She requested that security in and around the camp be beefed up. Local and parliamentary elections are expected to take place later this week despite repeated international community’s appeals for a delay and continued protests in the capital Bujumbura in which at least 30 people have died. Last weekend leaders of the East African Community (EAC), which counts Burundi among its members, renewed calls for a delay of the vote – by about one and a half months – while the Catholic Church and western donors have withdrawn their electoral support. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Govt reassures Burundian refugees of security