Mahama (Rwanda): a struggle to control harmful insects that saves and frustrates all the same

The Rwandan Ministry of Health launched last Monday, an insecticide spraying campaign in the Mahama camp. The country wants to fight against diseases caused by harmful insects. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The ministry’s officers began the operation in the eight villages of Mahama II zone.

The spraying is done in the houses where all household stuffs are taken outside to leave no space that could serve as shelter for insects. The shops are also sprayed.

“We are happy because no more mosquitoes, bedbugs, clothes or hair lice or other insects that often threaten our children”, emphasize refugees.

Community leaders who accompany these ministerial agents assure that this is a way to fight against several diseases including malaria. They affirm that since the introduction of this method which is done once a year, cases of malaria have significantly decreased in health structures.

However, this action has frustrated some refugees: “not a single refugee among a hundred agents in charge of spraying”, they grumble.

Severe reactions

“Since the activity is done in our communities, there should have been at least ten Burundian and Congolese refugees, which would have been a good sign of integration! But since they are well paid, maybe they did not want us to taste these advantages!”, lament refugees who disclosed it to SOS Médias Burundi.

They recommend that for the next times, “these organizational irregularities which could lead to a disagreement be corrected”.

Mahama has more than 63,000 refugees, mostly Burundians. 23,000 are Congolese.