800 à 1.400 étrangers expulsés, surtout congolais et rwandais

Le Burundi a expulsé en un mois entre 800 et 1.400 étrangers, essentiellement congolais et rwandais, accusés par la police d'être en situation irrégulière et responsables "de la majorité des crimes" commis le pays, a-t-on appris auprès de la police et de l'ONU.

Depuis le début de l'opération, mi-janvier, "la police a expulsé environ 800 étrangers irréguliers, dont 600 Congolais de République démocratique du Congo, une centaine de Rwandais et quelques Tanzaniens, Ougandais, Sénégalais", a annoncé jeudi le porte-parole national de la police, Pierre Chanel Ntarabaganyi.

De son côté, un responsable du Bureau intégré des Nations Unies au Burundi (Binub) a déclaré sous couvert d'anonymat que "le Burundi avait déjà procédé à l'expulsion de 1.406 personnes à la date du 16 février".

Selon ce responsable, "621 personnes, essentiellement des Congolais, ont été expulsés de la capitale Bujumbura, et le reste des expulsés, en grande partie des Rwandais, ont été chassés à partir de l'intérieur du pays, surtout de la province de Cibitoke (Nord-Ouest)".

"Il s'agit d'un travail de routine qui vise à chasser des irréguliers qui sont responsables de la majorité des crimes qui sont commis dans ce pays", a assuré pour sa part le porte-parole de la police.

Le président de l'Association pour la protection des personnes détenues et des droits humains (Aprodeh), Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, a condamné "cette chasse aux étrangers car ils sont traités de manière dégradante".

Ils "sont arrêtés pendant les rafles de la police, rassemblés dans un stade, avant d'être embarqués dans un camion en direction de la plus proche frontière", a-t-il dénoncé.

Des dizaines de personnes expulsées, qui possédaient des cartes d'identité burundaises, ont accusé la police sur des radios locales privées d'avoir déchirée ces documents sur ordre du pouvoir.

Source: AFP.

Le Rwanda réagit à cette attutude du Burundi
Source: The New Times

Rusizi — The government has requested Burundi to suspend hasty expulsions of Rwandans who have been living in Burundi as the number of evictees nears 800.

Burundi last week launched a crackdown on illegal immigrants and Rwanda had been 'unexpectedly' receiving hundreds of its citizens.

The Executive Secretary of the National Council for Refugees, Innocent Ngango, revealed that as of yesterday, at least 776 Rwandans had already arrived in the country.

"The expulsions occurred unexpectedly some of the people driven out had established themselves in Burundi and had assets there while others were illegal immigrants," he said.

Those expelled include Rwandans who left their country in 1950s, 1970s and during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis. According to government officials, the country has requested Burundi to halt the expulsions of Rwandan until the two countries discuss their issue.

"Issues to do with refugees are normally discussed in joint commissions of the two countries we have written to Burundi and requested them to suspend the operations until a decision is taken by a joint commission," said Joseph Kabakeza in charge of bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Rwanda's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (MINAFFET).

Most of the returnees arrived in Rwanda via Ruhwa border post in Rusizi District of the Western Province. Both immigration officials at the border and the returnees said that the displaced were forcibly repatriated by Burundian military officials who handed them over to Rwandan officials at the border.

"We have been chased from Burundi by their military personnel without even prior notice and they never allowed us to pack our properties. We call upon the government of Rwanda to help us recover our property," said Christopher Habamenshi, one of the evictees.

Most of them have been living in areas of Rugombo, Mugina and Mabaya communes of the North-Western Burundian Province of Cibitoke, near Rusizi District. Others were from the Burundian capital, Bujumbura.

Kabakeza hopes there could be a solution to their worries after talks are held with Burundian officials. He said that one of the possible solutions will be giving them travel documents to Burundi so that they can claim their properties back.

"We will devise means to sort out those problems," he said in an interview yesterday.

Burundian media have reported that whereas some Rwandans were willing to come back home, a bigger number wanted to stay in Burundi.