All regroupment sites accessible, government says

The Burundi government has condemned the “untrue and defamatory propaganda” which seeks to accuse the authorities of “rampant criminality” in establishing the protection sites. In a statement, sent to IRIN on Monday, the government said it had to ensure the security of citizens faced by a rebellion which “has no respect for life” as long as it destabilised the government and public opinion. The statement reiterated it had taken the “extreme and painful measure” to regroup people in Bujumbura Rural to stop the “noose” of the rebellion from tightening around them and to lessen the danger of military operations in the province. “There was no other choice,” the statement said, noting the “spectre of somalisation” hanging over the nation. The government said all the sites, even the most remote, were accessible to humanitarian organisations and emphasised that every security measure would be taken to ensure the safe distribution of humanitarian assistance.

Burundi analyst Jan van Eck said it was not helpful to debate whether the camps were “good or bad”. “Nobody wants the camps, but they are preferable to civilians dying massively,” he told IRIN. The government had no other option, but it was important that conditions in some of the camps were improved and security stepped up.