Burundi: Street children and beggars declared persona non grata.

The operation to clean up the streets of Burundi of some of its occupants became effective this Friday 08 July 2022. In the capital Bujumbura, at least 300 people including 90 street children are arrested in police raids. This comes after the government’s ultimatum expired three days ago.

Street children and beggars no longer have a place on the streets of Burundi. This is a decision of the executive that came into force this Friday throughout the country. But before that, the government gave these people a two-week ultimatum to vacate the premises. In Bujumbura and in several cities of the country, the decision is respected for the moment by these children and beggars. They no longer hang out on the streets at the risk of falling foul of the law.

The operation is coordinated by the ministry in charge of national solidarity and human rights. According to the Secretary General of the Ministry in charge of National Solidarity and Human Rights, Felix Ngendabanyikwa, the state is sufficiently prepared to definitively eradicate these practices. As for the fate of the insubordinate, the adult beggars will be judged and sentenced while the street children will be returned to their families.

The government does not intend to make an admission of failure.

More than determined, the Burundian government has taken all the necessary measures for the proper execution of the operation. ” We have prepared centres where they will spend as little time as possible. We will identify their origins and work on their parents. This practice of begging must be stopped permanently in our country. Some people say that this is not the first time we have done it, and that we will not succeed again. We will eradicate this phenomenon this time. All necessary measures are taken. We won’t stop this time “The Secretary General of the Ministry in charge of National Solidarity and Human Rights, Felix Ngendabanyikwa, said.

Government’s power grab to achieve the mission, civil society sees no hope. She believes that the operation will not last as long as in the past.