Muyinga : over 270 Batwa families still without roofing sheets, a year after the government’s promise

SOS Médias Burundi

Muyinga, February 10, 2026 – In the district of Muyinga, Buhumuza province in eastern Burundi, more than 270 Batwa families have been waiting for over a year for the roofing sheets promised by the Ministry of National Solidarity. These building materials were intended to allow them to finish the houses they had begun to build.

In the meantime, the beneficiaries have received temporary tents, which are now badly deteriorated. The houses under construction are gradually collapsing under the repeated rains. Lacking any alternative, some families are forced to return to living in straw houses, exacerbating their vulnerability.

An urgent appeal from family representatives

Pierre Nsabimana, a Twa from the Gasorwe zone and representative of these families, is making an urgent appeal to the authorities. He is demanding that the promised corrugated iron sheets be distributed without delay to guarantee decent housing, especially for children.

According to him, these commitments have never been honored, largely due to the change in leadership at the relevant ministry. The former Minister of Solidarity, Imelde Sabushimike, from the Batwa community, was replaced, and the ministry was merged with the Ministry of Justice, leaving the matter unresolved.

Local authorities call for patience

For his part, Léonidas Niyibitanga, advisor to the Gasorwe zone chief in charge of development, urges residents to be patient. He assures them that the authorities have not abandoned these families and that the promises will be kept.

A difficult survival through self-sufficiency

Edouard Kumwami, president of the cooperative representing the 270 Batwa families, also urges his members to remain hopeful. In the meantime, he encourages them to cultivate vegetable gardens around their homes – an initiative that remains difficult to implement given the lack of resources and precarious living conditions.

A worrying situation for the Batwa minority

The Batwa are an indigenous and marginalized ethnic minority in Burundi, facing serious problems of poverty, discrimination, and lack of access to land and education. SOS Médias Burundi reported that many Batwa families live in extreme poverty : children dropping out of school, mothers turning to precarious work. Despite some constitutional representation, many feel that their interests are not being defended, and their social and economic isolation remains a major concern.