Ruyigi: Rwandan nationals targeted by arrests

People of Rwandan origin found themselves surrounded by an impressive number of police officers in the neighborhoods of Sanzu and Gasanda in the urban center of Ruyigi (Eastern Burundi) on 26 November. According to witnesses, ten people were arrested and then taken to the cell of the provincial police station. Four of them have not yet been released. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Ignace Rwamukwaya, Calixte Rusangana, Faustin Nkurunziza and Albert Munyentwari are still held by the police in Ruyigi.

Born and raised in Ruyigi, of Tutsi ethnicity, they all come from parents of Rwandan origin who left the country in 1959 during the Rwandan-Rwandan crisis under the regime of President Kayibanda.

They have studied in Burundi and some are retired. This is particularly the case of Albert Munyentwari, a veterinary technician who is already retired, suffering from chronic illnesses, according to our sources.

The administrator of the commune of Ruyigi, Antoinette Semugara explains that “these people are irregular foreigners without residence documents in Burundi”.

“This operation to track undocumented foreigners has been carried out in all corners of Burundi,”.

The relatives of the detainees demand “their release, especially since these allegations do not hold”.