Bicycle taxis seized in Burundi

Bicycle taxi riders perform an essential service

Hundreds of bicycle taxis have been seized in the capital of Burundi, Bujumbura.

The government says the riders support the rebels by transporting them on their bicycles.

We are Burundians like everyone else, we need to eat, we need to make a living

Bicycle taxi driver

But the BBC's Christophe Nkurunziza in Bujumbura says that the move is tantamount to discrimination against the ethnic Hutu majority. Most bicycle taxi riders are Hutus.

A power-sharing arrangement between ethnic Hutus and Tutsis was inaugurated a year ago, but two Hutu rebel groups have continued to fight.

Peace talks taking place in Tanzania between President Pierre Buyoya's government and Hutu rebels have stalled.

More than 300,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Burundi's nine-year civil war.

Some 20,000 people have been displaced by fighting between rebel and government forces near Bujumbura over the last few days.

Suspicions

About 1,000 bicycle taxi riders demonstrated outside the interior ministry in Bujumbura on Wednesday to protest against the seizure of hundreds of their bicycles by security forces last week.

Bicycles are used to carry heavy loads in rural Africa

"We saw gendarmes who came with military lorries to take our bikes away," one of the riders told the BBC.

"If you were giving a lift to someone on your rack, they would stop you, seize the bike and drive away."

The interior minister told the media that the authorities suspect the riders of transporting rebels.

They say that bicycle taxis riders are a common sight at the scene of attacks by rebel fighters.

'Discrimination'

But our correspondent says that the taxis are everywhere in the capital, as most people cannot afford to use buses to get around.

The army is dominated by ethnic Tutsis

The armed forces in Burundi are dominated by the Tutsi minority.

The taxi riders have now threatened more demonstrations if their bicycles are not returned to them.

"We are Burundians like everyone else, we need to eat, we need to make a living," a bicycle taxi rider said.

Our correspondent says that if the riders do not get back to work soon, thousands of people will have difficulty getting around Bujumbura.

Impasse

The government and the rebels have been given until 28 November to try to agree a ceasefire.

Mediators in the peace talks in Dar es Salaam have hinted that sanctions may be taken against those groups seen as responsible for the deadlock if no peace deal is signed.

However, the FDD rebels have warned that they will pull out of the negotiations if, as they claim, the army continues its offensive against them.

Buyoya is to step down in six months

Under the power-sharing deal, Tutsi President Pierre Buyoya is due to swap places with Hutu Vice-President Domitien Ndayizeye on 1 May 2003.

Ethnic Tutsis, who make up 15% of the population, have traditionally dominated Burundi and this has continued since independence, angering the Hutu majority.

The rebel groups still fighting say that while Tutsis dominate the army, a Hutu president would be mere window dressing.

A key stumbling block is the issue of disarmament.

The government delegate had previously rejected a plan for simultaneous disarmament of the army and the militias, saying that disarming the army would be "disastrous".