VICE News
Nighttime Violence in Bujumbura: Burundi On The Brink (Dispatch 5)
2015 • E130 Jul 17, 2015 9m
In the past several weeks, gunfire and explosions have pierced the night in Bujumbura, Burundi's capital. The identity of the shooters has remained a mystery, although many suspect the police, in conjunction with the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the ruling party. Considered by some to be an armed militia, the Imbonerakure have been accused of helping police quell dissidents. In neighborhoods where residents are opposed to Burundi's ruling party and therefore subject to the night raids, people have organized to protect themselves — destroying entrances to neighborhoods, creating a communication system that notifies residents when an intruder has entered the community.