Kiziba refugees
Barely one month after an attempt to cause serious insecurity up to a point of fighting the Police, Congolese refugees hosted in Kiziba refugee camp in Karongi district have made a new attempt to confront security organs.
A media brief from Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs said on Wednesday that one refugee succumbed to an injury sustained during protest.
“Today (May 2nd), one refugee from Kiziba camp succumbed to his injuries got when, together with some refugees, he was trying to interfere with police patrols on May 1st. A tear gas canister used to disperse the said refugees had injured him,” reads the communiqué.
“MIDIMAR calls upon refugees not to interfere with @Rwandapolice patrols for their security. Refugees are reminded that any person who interferes with restoring normalcy in the camp are in violation of the law and will be held to account,” the communique reads.
No report has yet been issued about the cause of this new unrest among the refugees in Western Rwanda.
However, the incident comes just as Midimar was launching a new leadership system in the camp after it came to their attention that the existing committee representing the refugees was behind the February protests.
An aerial view of Kiziba refugee camp in Karongi district, in Western province of Rwanda
On Monday – April 30th, Midimar said that for better management of Kiziba refuge camp, it had decided to disband the 8 member executive committee leading the refugees.
However, the change would not affect other opinion leaders in the refugee camp. Those include camp’s village leaders, church leaders and different groups of social support.
Those leaders are set to meet with MIDIMAR and Partners to elect refugees’ executive committee replacing the one dissolved on 30th April.
The first confrontation at Kiziba refugee camp which happened in February was a protest of a decision from World Food Program and other suppliers of food to the refugees in the country to reduce food rations by 25%.
Unfortunately, they wanted to make a bloody feedback and the Rwanda police blocked them. This did not go without consequence. As a result, several injuries were registered during the refugees’ confrontation with police.
