Nakivale (Uganda): suspicion between the Burundian and Rwandan communities

The Burundian and Rwandan communities glower at each other at the Uganda’s Nakivale camp. The tension was heightened when a Burundian refugee was arrested at the request of a Rwandan community leader.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Burundian Étienne Ntakarutimana was arrested by the police. His community accuses a Rwandan village chief of plotting against him. He was arrested on July 16.

“The Rwandan leader complained that this Burundian reportedly threatened to kill him. On Tuesday, this refugee was arrested by the police and directly transferred to the Kabingo communal prison. However, there was no tangible evidence to incriminate him,” according to his family.

The Burundian refugee community in Nakivale speaks of a premeditated act.

“The Rwandan leader has repeatedly sworn that he will fight against Burundians from his village Nyarugugu C,” accuse Burundian refugees.

The man in detention described by his peers as a “victim” denies the facts. He requests legal assistance.

This follows increased suspicion between these two communities. Since the arrival of Burundians in this camp, particularly in 2015 following the crisis triggered by another controversial mandate of the late President Pierre Nkurunziza this year, Rwandans, mainly Hutus who fled after the genocide against the Tutsis in 1994, have felt threat.

“They see these Burundian refugees as emissaries of the Rwandan regime to hunt them down, which is not the case and moreover several of us have never been in Rwanda,” explains a Burundian community leader.

“The Rwandans are still in their restricted group, do not want to integrate common activities with Burundians, organize themselves in a sort of mutual social assistance and do not want community interactions,” he adds.

The Burundians are asking the Ugandan government and the UNHCR to intervene to lower tension, otherwise, “it would only take one spark for the worst to happen”.

Nakivale has more than 140,000 occupants including more than 33,000 Burundian refugees and more than 15,000 Rwandans.

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A sign post showing the capital of the commune of Bukinanyana (SOS Médias Burundi)