Nyanza-Lac: residents forced to sell their land at derisory prices to CNDD-FDD dignitaries

Nyanza-Lac: residents forced to sell their land at derisory prices to CNDD-FDD dignitaries

For months, residents in Gasaba village in Nyanza-Lac district (Makamba province, Southern Burundi) have been forcibly selling their land at derisory prices. Imbonerakure (members of the CNDD-FDD youth league) threaten the owners and appear as buyers, but they are sent by high dignitaries of the ruling CNDD-FDD party.Residents say they are victims of an organized robbery. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The land coveted by the authorities is on the shore of Lake Tanganyika. It is in the Karonko sub-village of the Gasaba village in the Kabonga zone. “We are forced to sell our plots and move. Anyone who refuses is threatened with death by Imbonerakure. And then they make us sign purchase and sale contracts at derisory prices. It’s shameful. It’s just an organized robbery”, say residents.

The real new buyers of plots are said to be senior dignitaries from the CNDD-FDD and executives of the same party. The provincial representatives of the ruling party and the provincial authorities are also singled out in this case.

The CNDD-FDD secretary general, Révérien Ndikuriyo, a native of Makamba, the national commissioner in charge of the ruling party leagues Sylvestre Ndayizeye and some police and army generals from the former Hutu rebel movement are among those who covet the locality, according to sources within the ruling party.After the purchase, plots are collectively delimited and guarded by Imbonerakure, according to witnesses.

“The locality is occupied and guarded by Élie, Ryoya, Déo, Adolphe, […] who pass for messengers.They have already delimited an area impassable by citizens, including a fishing site long used by fishermen in our locality”, deplore residents who are asking for the intervention of the President of the Republic.

“These imbonerakure give us advances on our properties before full payment is made. What is deplorable is that these advances generate 100% interest before the full refund of the price imposed without the knowledge of the local authorities”, testifies a local administration official.

Persons named in this case were not yet available to react to these allegations.

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