Last year saw a series of attacks on Bujumbura by rebel groups hiding in the wooded hills around the capital. They had rocket launchers and were able to fire into the city with impunity and also entered the city at night attacking police and civilians. The official justification for this move and one that sticks in the craw for many of those corralled in the camps is that the regroupment policy is designed to protect the Hutu civilian population from the rebels. Another, and perhaps more acurate reason for the move was that the countryside around the city had to be cleared so that anyone caught in the open, outside the camps, could be assumed to be a rebel and risk summary execution. The government also claimed the Hutu population was aiding the rebels, providing them sustenance.
Soldiers patrol the camps with guns and sticks and the air of intimidation is palpable.
It is clear that the inhabitants are not allowed to talk about their experiences to outsiders. Scores die each day from malnutrition and disease including cholera. Beds in feeding and health clinics are more than twice over-subscribed and the numbers of sick and dying are rising. The government cannot or will not feed the camp population, leaving it to aid agencies. But most of the camps are inaccessible or in dangerous rebel-held areas.