{"id":16591,"date":"2021-02-19T12:25:20","date_gmt":"2021-02-19T12:25:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/?p=16591"},"modified":"2021-02-19T13:07:21","modified_gmt":"2021-02-19T13:07:21","slug":"makamba-rutana-a-story-of-hell-in-tanzania-told-by-seasonal-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/makamba-rutana-a-story-of-hell-in-tanzania-told-by-seasonal-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Makamba-Rutana: a story of hell in Tanzania, told by seasonal workers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite the border closures due to Covid-19, young men from Gitega, Karusi, Mwaro and elsewhere continue to defy the ban to seek work in Tanzania. Some come back in bad shape, sick, or victims of beatings by the Tanzanians. Exhausted, some die when they arrive on Burundian soil. Investigation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Ntimpirangeza in front of the Kayogoro commune offices.<\/p><\/div>\n

In rags, his feet bare and swollen, emaciated, with a small bag filled with a few personal belongings, Ntimpirangeza, a man in his thirties, cuts a sorry sight. On this Tuesday, November 24, 2020, he is curled up on a bench in front of Kayogoro commune local government offices. He has suddenly aged. This young man, originally from Nyabihanga commune in Mwaro province, was returning from a health centre in Bigina zone, Kayogoro commune, where he was hospitalized. He had returned from Tanzania five days ago, in bad shape. \u201cWhen he arrived at the Malagarazi river, we noticed he was very ill. He was complaining of abdominal pain. We took him to the health centre. He only had 4,800 Burundian francs on him,\u201d said a resident of Bigina zone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in Tanzania for over five years. I entered from Nyanza-Lac commune. My job was to plough the cassava fields of the Tanzanians,” says Ntimpirangeza in a soft voice. He has difficulty speaking, and his body shakes with occasional spasms. A few months ago, the young man became ill: \u201cI think it was a stomach problem. I spent all my money on treatment. No result. I couldn’t do my job anymore.\u201d Tired of this \u201cdead weight\u201d, his employers chased him away unceremoniously, without paying him. \u201cThat\u2019s what they do all the time. When someone gets sick, they are kicked out without pay. Other Burundians collected a bit of money so I could come home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deaths in Bigina<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was a long journey for Ntimpirangeza to reach the Malagarazi river. \u201cI travelled on foot for several days. I had made some corn dough.\u201d He said he rested in villages along the way. Without any travel documents, he had to remain in hiding. \u201cIf the Tanzanian police catch you, you are beaten to death. Fortunately, I was able to get home without coming across them.\u201d
\nThe young man was happy to have returned to his country: \u201cI don’t think I will ever go back there.\u201d With a road map issued by the administrator, Ntimpirangeza was able to return to his native hill thanks to the intervention of residents from Nyabihanga, and the commune promised to pay his hospital fees.<\/p>\n

Others were not so lucky. Residents of Bigina zone mentioned two seasonal workers who had come back from Tanzania and died recently. The Kayogoro commune administrator, Antoine Ndayiragije, confirmed this: \u201cSomeone from Mutaho, in Gitega province, was kicked out after his health had already deteriorated. When he arrived in Kayogoro, he didn\u2019t survive. He died before reaching the health centre.\u201d<\/p>\n

Local authorities from Mutaho commune and the person\u2019s family went to Kayogoro. \u201cAs it\u2019s difficult to transport the body over a long distance, the person was buried in Kayogoro. We gave them a hand with the funeral\u201d. There is also another case, that of a seasonal worker from Shombo commune in Karusi province. \u201cThere were clashes between Tanzanian herders and Burundian workers. The Burundians were seriously injured. Two Burundians came for treatment at the Mayange Health Centre. We informed their families in Shombo. Unfortunately, one of them didn’t survive. He died from his injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tough living conditions in the land of Mwalimu Nyerere<\/strong><\/p>\n

Burundians who go to Tanzania work for landowners who grow cassava or tobacco, or they herd cows. “When you plough a land of 80 metres by 80 metres, they give you between 30,000 and 40,000 Tanzanian shillings (around 15 dollars)\u201d, says Ntimpirangeza. However, those who return from Tanzania say that the food is inadequate. \u201cThey give us corn dough and beans. Even if you spend 20 years there, they still give you the same food,\u201d says another seasonal worker. They live in huts in the middle of the forests. \u201cWe live among animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without any official documents, they are easy prey for the \u201cWanamugambo\u201d, law enforcement officers or police. \u201cSmugglers collect our ID cards as soon as we enter. They tell us not to say that we are Burundian.\u201d These seasonal workers say their employers mistreat them with impunity. \u201cIf you run into a bad employer, you can say goodbye to your salary. Some of them hit you all the time, because they know we can’t complain. Our compatriots are dying from ill-treatment and disease.\u201d When a worker gets sick, he continues, employers throw him out like a pair of old socks.<\/p>\n

A porous border — the authorities struggle to stop them<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Malagarazi river in Bigina zone is one of the preferred clandestine crossings.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cKayogoro commune borders Tanzania. Ten of the 29 hills that make up our commune share a border with Tanzania. The part of Malagarazi that is in our commune is very long. There are well-known crossings (ivyambu) and several other smaller, clandestine crossings that are difficult to control,\u201d says the administrator of Kayogoro commune.<\/p>\n

Officially, the border is closed. People are not allowed to cross. \u201cWe only exchange commercial products. But there are people who come from other provinces like Gitega, Karusi, Mwaro, Kayanza, Ngozi and Bururi and cross the border secretly.\u201d And sometimes, he continues, we see they\u2019ve come back. \u201cWe let them enter our commune. First, a medical team must test them for Covid-19. After examination, they spend a few days here in isolation. And after the results, we let them return to their communes of origin.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Antoine Ndayiragije: “Some come home sick, beaten or mistreated by the Tanzanians. They\u2019ve been robbed of their money and belongings.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

However, the commune administrator mentions some serious problems with these seasonal workers: \u201cSome come back sick, beaten or mistreated by the Tanzanians. They are robbed of their money and belongings, so it is difficult for them to move around without money. In these situations, we work with the administrators of their communes of origin and their families to help them return to their native regions.\u201d He says there is a need to educate these seasonal workers so that they become aware of the dangers of using illegal crossings. \u201cThere is an official crossing in Mugina in Mabanda commune. There, all they have to do is show a laissez-passer, and they can leave without any problems. Tanzania has its own customs. Honestly, they don’t like these Burundians, even if they employ them to work in their fields.\u201d He went on: \u201cWe should encourage them to inform the administration so that we can intervene quickly if there are problems. It appears to be very difficult to make them understand that. There is still a lot to be done in this respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same situation occurs at the border between Bukemba commune in Rutana province and Tanzania. \u201cSeasonal workers from other provinces are often intercepted. During the dry season until September, this movement of people intensified,\u201d says Fran\u00e7oise Twagirayezu, the Bukemba commune administrator. She says they noticed a lot of Hiace buses dropping people off at night. They would waiting at Gihofi until daybreak. \u201cThere were even minors. They were intercepted so we could send them back home. The governors of Gitega and Karusi often came to pick up residents of their provinces.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Fran\u00e7oise Twagirayezu: \u201cWhen several dozen people gather in one place during the night, it\u2019s worrying.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

The commune administrator said this was a source of insecurity. \u201cWhen several dozen people gather in one place during the night, it\u2019s worrying.\u201d The Bukemba administrator stressed that it is difficult to prevent them from leaving. \u201cThere are about eight illegal crossings at the border between Bukemba and Tanzania.\u201d<\/p>\n

A reminder: A group of 16 people, including young Imbonerakure from the ruling party and administrative authorities, including the Bigina zone chief and four police officers \u2013 among them, the commune police commissioner \u2013 got together in an organized gang to kill and extort Burundians returning from Tanzania. The pretext was the Covid-19 pandemic. Accused of murder and extortion, they are currently detained in Murembwe prison in Rumonge province. \u201cWith these convictions, some young people in Bigina have learnt a lesson,” said a local resident.<\/p>\n

Fabrice Manirakiza & R\u00e9novat Ndabashinze<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite the border closures due to Covid-19, young men from Gitega, Karusi, Mwaro and elsewhere continue to defy the ban to seek work in Tanzania. Some come back in bad shape, sick, or victims of beatings by the Tanzanians. Exhausted, some die when they arrive on Burundian soil. Investigation. In rags, his feet bare and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16596,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[21],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16591"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16591"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16613,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16591\/revisions\/16613"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.iwacu-burundi.org\/englishnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}