Security in western province "very alarming"

The security situation in western Burundi was "very alarming", having deteriorated in recent weeks during which assailants have intensified ambushes, stolen cattle and attacked innocent people, according to the Governor of Bujumbura Rural, Balthazar Ntamahungiro. Burundi news agency ABP quoted him as having deplored the insecurity and urged people to be more vigilant in order to "monitor infiltration corridors of the assailants." The situation was reported to have resulted in the widespread movement of people, with Ruziba, 10km south of Bujumbura, having become "completely deserted". Humanitarian workers in Burundi reiterated on Monday that there was "a problem" with the security situation in Bujumbura Rural, which surrounds the capital. They said an estimated 12,000 people have been moved by the authorities to the commercial centre for their protection, a move has met resistance from the local population. "Our problem is access. These areas are not always accessible," a humanitarian source told IRIN. "There is serious humanitarian situation in the area," he said, adding that there were an estimated 150,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Rural as a whole. Humanitarian agencies in the area are to send a rapid inter-agency assessment team to one of the recently attacked areas, Mtambu, to assess the needs, IRIN sources added.