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Some of the grenades, rifles and boxes of ammunition collected from the armoury. |
Wednesday 17th: We arrived at the police station early and after greeting the police Chief we get to work. Currently in Burundi there is a civilian disarmament campaign. Weapons are being handed over from the civilian population to the police and more are being seized by the police. Many of these weapons are handmade from local materials, but I was told they could certainly be used to kill and injure.
The team secured more than 200 grenades by taping the safety pin in place, a dangerous job. Once the pin is firmly in place they are safe to transport back to Bujumbura for destruction. There is no need for a police armoury to have weapons such as grenades on the premises. The grenades and many rifles were loaded onto the back of the vehicles and carefully driven back to secure storage in Bujumbura.
We have to make sure that we’re back at the capital before the curfew at 5pm, but there is time to stop at a tea plantation to take in the view and have a team photo.
Thursday 18th: I worked with Jacques and Julie on a concept note they have developed to clear the last remaining landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Burundi. A lot of the clearance of mines has been carried out, but there was one region which could not be accessed because of rebel activity.
MAG has been informed by national authorities that there are at least 58 different areas where mine and UXO contamination has been reported. Jacques and Didier have been to have a look at a few of the areas and in one saw 41 anti-personnel mines. When we drove back from the north of the country we passed at least three UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) vehicles carrying refugees who are returning back to Burundi after fleeing to neighbouring countries during the conflict.
Burundi is small and pressure on land is huge, the current influx of returnees is increasing that pressure and could become a source of conflict. Clearing contaminated land for people, including returning refugees, to be able to settle and cultivate is of vital importance and I really hope that this concept note that we are working on will persuade donors to fund this work.
Friday 19th: In addition to collecting grenades and rifles from the armoury last Wednesday, we also collected many boxes of ammunition. Today I drove with Didier and his team to the Central Demolition Site just outside the city centre. We had planned to destroy the ammunition and grenades here; however, members of the Army that we are training to be able to do this job were not able to attend and so we decided to securely store the ammunition and wait until they were able to participate, as every opportunity to provide training is highly valuable both to MAG and the Armed Forces.
We drove back through several villages where poverty is extreme and obvious. People ran at the vehicle asking for food.
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Due to the risk of ambush, we had to make sure that we’re back in Bujumbura before the 5pm curfew, but there was time to stop at a tea plantation to take in the view and a team photo. |
That afternoon, I attended an important ceremony for MAG and the Police Force, the release of the report from Phase 1 operations, which MAG conducted in collaboration with the police force. Two mobile teams, like the one I had spent the week with (all seconded from the police but led by a MAG TFM), travelled to survey every police armoury in the country. Their three principle findings were that:
• the armouries had far too many weapons and many were not suitable for police use (such as grenades and mines)
• the armouries were not secure, many had no panes in the windows, some had no locks on the doors and were vulnerable to thieves
• armourers were not trained to safely manage and store stocks. There are so many weapons that it is hard for them to keep track of them all and to notice if a few boxes are stolen
More than 70 people from the police, government and donor community gathered to learn about the findings of the survey and listen to how the issues will be addressed in Phase 2 operations which began in May this year. In Phase 2, MAG will:
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Some of MAG Burundi's staff (left to right): Jacques (Technical Field Manager-Team Leader); Julie (Country Programme Manager); Xavier (Phase 1 Technical Field Manager); Cynthia (Logistics Officer); Didier and Lionel (Technical Field Managers). |
• return to every armoury and remove surplus and obsolete weapons for destruction
• secure armouries and provide equipment such as gun racks, to ensure that remaining stocks are stored safely
• train armourers to be able to manage and secure remaining stocks
After the ceremony the MAG team hit the town for a well-earned celebration.
Saturday 20th: As I departed Burundi, I thought about the 200 grenades that we removed from the insecure police armoury and about the family who could have lost their lives in the grenade attack earlier in the week, and I began to realise that each of the grenades MAG destroys is potentially another family saved.
I drove past those posters warning people about the dangers of weapons – one is of a child with limbs missing, and it is a good reminder of the ultimate reason behind MAG’s work in Burundi. The programme destroys and secures dangerous weapons so they cannot leak into the civilian population and end up killing and maiming innocent victims.
Exactly one year from my visit, June 2010, Burundi is planning to hold elections and there is fear amongst the population and wider community that this could force a return to violence; so our work here is more important than ever, and the clock is ticking...
20 August 09
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