Camp conditions move Buyoya to consider villagisation

The government is to experiment with establishing a villagisation
programme among other means of improving living conditions for the people in its much-criticised civilian regroupment camps, President Pierre Buyoya stated on Monday. Speaking during a visit to regroupment sites at Muziba in Bujumbura municipality and Muyira in Bujumbura-Rural, Buyoya told Burundi radio that where security conditions did not allow the dismantlement of camps, the government was contemplating the resettlement
of people in villages, especially in the plains. "We are, in fact, going to experiment in Muziba [within days]. I believe that, based on the number of existing houses and those that people will be able to construct, one can establish a village. We are going to experiment with it. After this we will have an idea of the time consumed and the costs involved. If it
happens to be feasible, we may replicate it," Buyoya said. "When this is not possible, we are also contemplating transferring the camps and perhaps reducing the number of people living in camps so as to improve living conditions in these camps, while waiting for the situation to improve and for people to be able to return home," he said.