Since they have been ordered to leave their plots of land which were later distributed to a certain “Joseph Gahushi”, about 5000 homes from Kizina hill of Gihanga Commune in Bubanza western province have come, this 30 January, to the office of Burundi Ombudsman to demand the answer to their complaint. Edouard Nduwimana, Burundi Ombudsman has received them behind closed doors.
Kizina residents have come to get the feedback from the field visit made by the office of the Burundian Ombudsman
They say they were looking for the Ombudsman for two purposes. “To get the feedback from the field visit made by the office of the Ombudsman and to complain about the arrest warrants issued against some people. We have thus come here to demand the answer,” says Jean De Dieu Birikunzira, Kizina hill chief.
After the meeting with Justice Minister, Aimée Laurentine Kanyana and the Ombudsman at around 11 a.m., Kizina residents were told to temporarily go back to their plots of land and were promised that the arrest warrants will be suspended. “We expect that our children will finally sleep at home”, says Joséphine Gakobwa, a mother of eight.
She says their children will no longer hide for fear of being killed or arrested at any time. “We hope that the decision taken by the Justice Minister will come into force immediately. Otherwise, some of our young people plan to flee the locality,” she says.
Donatien Ndikumana, another Kizina resident, however says the Minister of Justice would better address a correspondence to the local administrative officials to suspend the former decision to give our lands to another person.
More than 5000 families of Kizina 1 and 2 in Gihanga Commune of Bubanza Province said to be victims of injustice as their lands estimated at 231 ha had been granted to another person.
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