RUYIGI, September 26th (ABP) – The Batwa community from the Rwamvura and Nyarunazi villages in Ruyigi district asks the administrator of the Ruyigi district and especially the president of the Republic of Burundi to grant them arable land and decent housing.
This appeal was made at a time when 45 families of that community celebrated their marriage officially, on Saturday, September 23, 2024, thus obeying the call of the Burundian government. This population, which experiences a sedentary lifestyle in their respective localities, nevertheless fears that the lack of household and land could delay their development and thus undermine the achievement of the vision of an emerging Burundi in 2040 and that of a developed Burundi in 2060.
Those Batwa households from the Rwamvura and Nyarunazi villages number around a hundred, but very few of them have decent and sustainable homes.
To that end, the representative of the Union for the Promotion of Batwa in Ruyigi province, Mr. Emmanuel Bahita, said that only 17 houses are roofed with iron sheets. He also specified that hut houses, commonly called “ingondano in our mother language”, still exist among them. Added to this is the lack of arable land. According to him, their plots are limited to the space where their small houses are built and the people in between do not even have a space of 4 acres for cultivation.
While a period of only 3 days has just passed after the civil marriage, all those families say they are uncertain about their future while they have committed to staying together for life because, they say, it is very difficult and even impossible to remain sedentary and stay together when they have nothing to put under their teeth or land to grow crops.
Thus, these families emphasize that the head of state had promised to grant them land for cultivation, and that he had given the green light to the administrator of the Ruyigi district to identify and locate a site where they could be installed. They hope that the word of the President of the Republic will be implemented so that they can develop like other communities.
Despite all these challenges, the families of that community say they are ready to join forces with other communities to achieve the vision: emerging Burundi in 2040 and a developed Burundi in 2060.