Gitega : about ten members of the Banyamulenge community in detention

Since Thursday, February 20, about ten members of the Banyamulenge community, mostly refugees, have been arrested and sent to police cells in the political capital Gitega where they are held. Four women and a minor are among the detainees. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

These people were arrested during searches of public transport vehicles. According to witnesses, the police targeted them among other passengers.

“These Banyamulenge were apprehended at different entry points to the city of Gitega,” say eyewitnesses of these searches.

According to a police source in Gitega, no charges have been filed against these detainees so far.

“They are talking about ongoing investigations but these investigations take a lot of unnecessary time,” says our source. Furthermore, she points out, these detainees have difficulty finding food because they have no family to bring them food like other occupants of the police cells in the political capital of Burundi.

Among the detainees are a minor, Cliton Muhirwa (15 years old), and four women.

Two young Congolese brothers who were arrested on Tuesday in a motel in the city of Gitega, were released after hiring a lawyer the same day, who assisted them. After their release, they were given two choices : return to the Bwagiriza camp in Ruyigi province in eastern Burundi, or return home to Congo. They opted for the first alternative.