Bujumbura: strong drinks taken by minors

Parents in the Gihosha zone, north of the commercial city Bujumbura, have launched an alert. Their children, including minors, take very alcoholic drinks.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

A parent raises concerns about their minor son.

“My son is fifteen years old. At home, he is really responsible and perfect, you can’t even think that he can take these damn drinks. One Sunday afternoon, I went to a corner, I was expecting I couldn’t see what I saw : my child in the company of other young people of his age with bottles of Sapor drink. I didn’t even have the courage to continue on my way,” he laments.

A mother also regrets this situation. These children are still too young to take these drinks, which are harmful to their health, she says in despair.

“It’s really deplorable. One Saturday I met them very close to the Saint Jean Baptiste catholic parish. Some were wearing Scout movement scarves… which means that pqarents have no information on what their children are doing since they think they are in movement meetings. We can even wonder where these children get the money to buy these drinks, certainly in the pockets of their parents or in other ways. I don’t know,” she laments.

After the alert of a family of a scout child surprised by his parents, some parents even asked for the elders to follow this movement and a meeting was held for this matter.

Adults in the movement promised to closely monitor these minors.

The administration should ban the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors

Parents are asking for the administration’s involvement.

“May the administration help us, stores must stop serving minors these drinks,” demands a mother.

A bottle of Sapor drink, very alcoholic

In an oral question session on Tuesday before senators where three ministers were invited, Marie Chantal Nijimbere, minister in charge of trade, explained that “Sapor” was classified among liquors marketed in Burundi.

She specified that the analyses of the BBN (the Burundi Bureau of Standardization and Quality Control) showed that this drink is composed of fruits in minimal quantities.

“According to collected samples, it was found that this drink is in the category of liquors. According to the laboratory which carried out the analyses, the composition of the fruits in Sapor is too minimal. Given this composition which is minimal, we took the decision to classify Sapor among liquors”, explained the minister.

According to Ms. Nijimbere, this decision will help the population to take the drink in moderation.

All the parents contacted ask Burundian authorities to take measures to discourage the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors.

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A man walks towards a heavily alcoholic uncontrolled drinks bar in northern Burundi, August 2023