Where rebels rule, and children’s lives are put on hold - BurundiClemence sits on the floor in the primary school at Kabezi, 20 km southeast of Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. Surrounded by other women and their children, she occasionally plays with four-year-old Angelina, her youngest daughter. But she is distracted. Clemence, her husband Jaque and their eight children fled from their house seven months ago. They lived on one of the hills surrounding the centre of Kabezi. “Seven months ago, we were woken up early one morning by heavy gunfire. I had just time to push the children out and we ran as fast as we could. We fell over each other as it was still dark, but we could not stop until we got to a safe place,” says Clemence as the other women nod their heads, as if to confirm that this is indeed how most of them were forced out of their homes. The family was hosted in a home in the outskirts of Kabezi. From time to time they had tried to go back home but were frustrated by renewed fighting. The fighting continued, and each day sounds of gunfire got closer and closer. The family left for Kabezi centre. Clemence and her children are lucky to be sleeping inside a classroom, despite having to share with several other families. Others have had to build small huts out of banana fibre and leaves. The huts are squeezed between the school and the health centre. Clemence’s son Eric who is 10 years old and 12-year-old Evaline walk in and sit down to listen to their mother. “I wish that we had peace and that I could afford to by clothes for my children,” she says as she sadly looks at Eric and Evaline. “I sold some bananas to be able to buy a dress for Angelina. When we fled there was no time to even dress her”, she continues. The rest of the children are lining up outside to help the soldiers carry wood. On their way back they will try to find some manioc to eat. As Clemence explains, most people did not have time to bring any of their harvest, which is now rotting as no one dares to go home. Only four of Clemence’s children, the boys, have been attending school as she could not afford to pay the fees for all of them. “I like school. I enjoy French and Kirundi but not mathematics - it is too difficult,” Eric says. Evaline looks at her brother with envy, probably realizing that she will never have the opportunity to go to school. For Nitembazi Tharcisse, the rebel insurgency in Burundi will remain a dark memory for the rest of his life. The fighting forced his family out of Butaganzwa commune in Ruyigi province to Itaba commune in Gitega province. And even here the family did not find peace. One early morning, rebel forces arrived at the village in Itaba where the family had taken refuge. The rebels demanded money, clothes and food. The people gave whatever they had, fearing they would be beaten or even killed. After the rebels left, the worst was yet to follow. A couple of hours later, government soldiers arrived in search of the rebels. People hid in their huts out of fear. The soldiers hang around until evening. Then they went from door to door, supposedly looking for rebels. The villagers were too afraid to open their doors. They tried to convince the soldiers that they were unarmed and were not rebels. The soldiers did not believe them and instead set the homes on fire. Many people were burnt alive. Those who tried to escape were shot, even though they came out with their hands up and begging for their lives. “We are not rebels, we are civilians, and we don’t carry weapons”, they shouted. But the soldiers did not listen. Tharcisse’s wife was one of those shot as she ran out of a burning house. On her back was little Naoricimpa Clothilde, only nine months old. Tharcisse was lucky. He had spent the night in another house and was able to escape when first the rebels and then the government soldiers came. Much later when he came back he learnt of his wife’s death. His daughter was found alive, crying on the back of her dead mother. Asked why he thinks both the rebels and the government soldiers are attacking and killing civilians in the villages, Tarcisse says: “Neither the rebels nor the soldiers care about us.” The following day Tarcisse took his daughter to a nearby hospital. He could hardly take care of a nine-month old child under the circumstances.
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