BUJUMBURA, May 24th (ABP) – A convoy of 36 households and their family belongings were taken on Tuesday May 21, to the capital of the Gatumba zone, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
That is a final departure for the victims of the floods in that area towards the Mubumbi site, in Mubumbi commune of Bujumbura province (western Burundi).
The Col. Pol, Alexis Hatungimana, provincial coordinator of civil protection in that province who supervises that relocation on a daily basis, indicated to the ABP that the site has reached its reception capacity, with 545 households. There were 509 households on May 20 and only 36 households remained to be accommodated. Some will be installed in Kabezi which expects 902 households, while the others will be transported elsewhere, he said.
The residents of Gatumba say they are tired and some would like to leave the flooded households within a more or less reasonable time frame.
Sitting outside the zone office with their children next to their belongings, some of them said they were called to go to Mubimbi, but they were not found there, arguing that they did not inform in time of their departure. Still others said they were sick, arguments not supported by the administration.
The relocation was carried out for the population of the Mushasha I, Mushasha II hills, part of Gaharawe and will continue for the other remaining hills, reported Police Col Alexis Hatungimana, who recommended that the non-displaced inhabitants of that area wait their turn, explaining that the decision will be taken by the ad-hoc commission, in consultation with the office of the governor of Bujumbura. He reported that the Mubumbi site is lit, with emergency shelters. It has drinking water provided by the Burundi Red Cross. The displaced are fed by the ministry in charge of National Solidarity and partners, he said.