Commune of Bwambarangwe | |
|---|---|
  Commune of Bwambarangwe | |
| Coordinates: 2°33′09″S30°20′27″E / 2.55250°S 30.34083°E | |
| Country |  Burundi |
| Province | Kirundo Province |
| Administrative center | Mukenke |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (Central Africa Time) |
The Commune of Bwambarangwe is a commune of Kirundo Province in northern Burundi. [1]
The Commune of Bwambarangwe has an area of 193.0 square kilometres (74.5 sq mi) and had a population of 66,816 as of the 2008 census. [2] Bwambarangwe is in the east of Kirundo Province. It extends southwest from the southeast of Lake Rweru. The Commune of Busoni and Commune of Gitobe are to its west. Muyinga Province is to its east. [3]
Lake Kanzigiri is on the boundary between the Commune of Bwambarangwe to the east and the Commune of Busoni to the west. [4] It lies to the south of Lake Rweru, to which it is connected by an area of marshland. [5] The settlement of Bunwera is to the east of its southern point. Bwambarangwe is to the south. [4] Around Lake Kanzigiri there are wooded savannahs dominated by plants such as Pericopsis angolensis , Parinari curatellifolia and Hymenocardia acida , which indicate Zambezian influences. These eastern savannas are mainly found in the Ruvubu National Park, which indicates that Lake Kanzigiri and the marshes associated with it are a zone of separation between the Bugesera District and the Mosso-Malagarazi District. [6]
There is a hospital and health center in Mukenke, and health centers in Bugorora, Kimeza, Kibazi and Buhoro. [7] The health centers at Buhoro and Mukenke have solar panels, with storage and an AC converter, which supply power for lights, medical equipment and refrigeration. [8]
The commune has four zones: Buhoro, Mukenke, Kimeza and Bugorora. [9] It is divided into 17 collines , from north to south: [10]
In April 2014 Jean Marie Muhigwa, administrator of the commune of Bwambarangwe, stated that unlike other communes of Kirundo Province, the administration had worked to bring together supporters of different political parties. Two youth football teams had been formed, one with supporters of the ruling CNDD/FDD party and the opposition FNL and MSD [lower-alpha 1] parties, and the other with supporters of the UPRONA, FRODEBU, FRODEBU-Nyakuri and civil society. Young people of different parties also met in income-generating activities, and regular meetings were held to raise awareness of the importance of political tolerance. [12]
On 4 September 2019 it was reported that two days earlier Fébronie Niyingabire, Administrator of Bwambarangwe Commune, had summoned three young girls to the Bwambarangwe Communal office, where she slapped them and beat them with a stick. One of the girls was hospitalized. Their offense seems to have been attending dance rehearsals for the opening ceremonies of the office of the CNL party, which they had supported since the period when they lived in the Rukore refugee camp in Tanzania. [13]
In May 2022 the president of the CNL in the commune of Bwambarangwe asked the commune administrator for approval of a festival at the commune level to celebrate the third anniversary of the party's approval. The administrator refused, on the grounds that the celebration was a form of propaganda, and anyway the anniversary had been celebrated nationally on 20 February. [14]
After the crisis of October 1993, when a group of soldiers assassinated President Melchior Ndadaye, Hutu extremists began to attack Tutsi in Bwambarangwe, looting, raping and killing both women and men. More than 400 died, while others took refuge in the communal center in Mukenke. The military intervened, and in some cases committed acts of violence against the Hutu, some of whom fled to foreign countries, particularly Tanzania. Since then efforts have been made to restore calm in Bwambarangwe, including the Kigobe and Kajaga agreements and peace meetings in the collines. [15]
In November 2021 Cyriaque Nshimirimana, Second Deputy Speaker of the Senate, visited the province of Kirundo. On the second day of his visit he visited Mukerwa zone, Commune of Busoni, to assist in construction of the modern football stadium that was being built in Renga village. Later that day a meeting to discuss socio-economic and security issues was held in the town of Busoni with administrative and religious leaders of the Busoni, Bwambarangwe and Gitobe communes. During a presentation on what Sangwe cooperatives had achieved in those communes, it was noted that those in Gitobe had been successful, and those in the other two communes less so. Issues raised included the need to repair the Gasura–Gitobe road, the need for a market for selected corn and bean seeds, and the need for artificial insemination of livestock. [16]
In July 2022 Édouard Nduwimana, Ombudsman of Burundi, visited the Bwambarangwe commune to discuss concerns with the people. He heard complaints that included failure of the administration, police and courts to manage conflicts, arrears in payments by the municipality to the Institut National de la Sécurité Sociale (INSS) for their employees, and the lack of return packages for people returning from exile. [17] Later the ombudsman organized football matches in Busoni commune's Nyarunazi stadium between teams of repatriated youth and teams of non-exiled youth.
In April 2024 the commune launched a drive to formalize common law marriages, and held a ceremony where 552 couples regularized their marriage. Fabrice Ciragiye, permanent secretary of the commune, urged people to stop common law marriages, and also to limit births. [9]
Kirundo Province is one of the eighteen provinces of Burundi, in north of the country bordering Rwanda. The economy is mostly based on agriculture, with a dispersed population and few sizable communities. Before 1970 large parts of the province were forested. Migrants from the south then cleared much of the vegetation to create agricultural land, and Kirundo became the breadbasket of Burundi. The civil war from 1993 to 2005 caused agricultural output to drop by more than half. Since then, lack of farm inputs, poor infrastructure and shortages of water have caused widespread poverty.
The provinces of Burundi are subdivided into 119 communes. The communes are further subdivided into collines.
These are some of the articles related to Burundi on the English Wikipedia:
The commune of Bugabira is a commune of Kirundo Province in northern Burundi. The capital is Bugabira. There are health centers at Muyange and Ruhehe.
Busoni is a commune of Kirundo Province in northern Burundi. The seat lies at Busoni.
The commune of Ntega is a commune of Kirundo Province in northern Burundi.
Alain Tribert Mutabazi is a Burundian politician who was the governor of northern Province of Kirundo and later was appointed Minister of Defense.
The Murehe Forest is an area of forest in the north of the Kirundo Province of Burundi. It is protected by the Murehe Reserve, part of the Lacs du Nord Aquatic Landscape.
The Protected Aquatic Landscape of the North, also called the Northern Protected Waterway or Northern Protected Waterscape, is a protected area in Kirundo Province, Burundi. It covers eight lakes in the north of the province, and a forest. It was designated Ramsar site no. 2149 in March 2014.
Lake Kanzigiri is a lake in the Kirundo Province of Burundi.
Lake Rwihinda, also known as the Lac aux Oiseaux is a lake in the Kirundo Province of Burundi. It is home to diverse migratory birds, which are the main tourist attraction in the region. However, despite being protected, it is under threat from encroaching agriculture in this very poor region.
Kabanga is a village and a colline in the Commune of Busoni, Kirundo Province, Burundi.
Jean-Marie Muhirwa is a politician who was elected senator for Kirundo Province, Burundi in 2015. He resigned in 2016 to become a member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).
Réverien Nzigamasabo is a politician who was governor of Kirundo Province, Burundi, from 2010 to 2015.
Nyamabuno Marsh is a marsh in the northeast of Kirundo Province, Burundi.
Ruduhira Marsh is a marsh in the northeast of Kirundo Province, Burundi.
Kabuyenge Marsh is a marsh in the northwest of Kirundo Province, Burundi.
Gasenyi is a village in the Commune of Busoni, Kirundo Province in northern Burundi, the center of the Gasenyi colline and the Gasenyi zone.
Mukenke is a town in Bwambarangwe Commune, Kirundo Province, Burundi.
Buhoro is a large village in Bwambarangwe Commune, Kirundo Province, Burundi.
