"Villagisation" in camps for internally displaced

A process of "villagisation" is slowly taking place in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Burundi's central province of Gitega and the northern province of Ngozi, according to humanitarian sources. The camps of Itankoma and Mutaho, in Gitega, and Ruhororo in Ngozi, are home to many IDPs who since 1993 have chosen not to return to their places of origin. Some cite security reasons, while others choose not to return to live among those who killed their relatives. They believe they are better off in a newly created "village", rather than in a more traditional setting where homes are isolated. The villages have streets, semi-permanent houses, running water and pit-latrines. "They only lack electricity," one humanitarian source told IRIN. Some IDPs have also surrounded their homes with a traditional compound - called a Rugo - as a sign of ownership and stability. During the 1980s the former president, Jean-Baptiste Bagaza, actively encouraged the creation of villages in an attempt to improve access to infrastructure. The process was opposed by both the donor communities and Burundians who were used to living in more isolated homes, and subsequently failed. The process of "villagisation" also came under scrutiny in Rwanda where the government tried to isolate rebels by resettling returning refugees into communal villages, called Imidugudu. As in Burundi, the Imidugudu system failed as neither Rwandans nor the international community supported it and the system failed to deliver on the promise of improving the living standards of local people. The current Burundi government says it neither encourages "villagisation" nor opposes it. Speaking to IRIN, the director-general in the ministry for resettlement, Zenobe Niragira, said "The situation evolved by itself and the villagisation process is not a government policy." Many humanitarian workers support Niragira's views, pointing out that what is happening in villages should not be compared to the creation of villages in Burundi in the 1980s. "This is a bottom-up process while that of the 80s was a top-down one imposed by a regime on a people," a Burundian analyst said. "It is an expression of people who share a fear for their security and prefer to sacrifice their traditional way of living in favour of improved security." Some humanitarian sources believe this change of mentality could have a positive impact on the country's development as people voluntarily move out of an overcrowded countryside to settle into villages, which may in turn develop into small towns. As the camps develop into "villages", the focus of their needs also changes. They tend to be less dependent on emergency assistance, and more so on durable development like schools and health facilities.