A Call to Disarm

Driving around Bujumbura, it's impossible not to see these massive billboards urging Burundians to voluntarily disarm. I was recently told that everyone is armed--while Bujumbura seems perfectly safe with the exception of the petty theft and muggings typical of most cities--areas outside Bujumbura are not always safe.

Posters such as these are hard to ignore

Hand grenades are available in the black market for just over $1 each, and are used for revenge, or in arguments. They're apparently so omnipresent that there are many accidents, as well. Earlier this month, I heard that one accidentally went off in Bujumbura--a man carried a grenade for security, and accidentally let it slip, killing him and injuring 9 others. There is a disarmament program in full swing, and I believe it's in coordination with the United Nations. Occasionally, they'll blow up weapons caches here. It's when you hear things like that that you realize that Burundi really is a post-conflict society.