1 November 2007
Bujumbura — A standoff between police and striking students wounded five students and a policeman had his front teeth knocked out by a stone during the scuffle. The police were attempting to stop a demonstration that students of the technical secondary school of Bubanza staged today.
They were heading on foot for the office of the Education ministry which is 40 kilometres from Bubanza. Students of this school started a hunger strike on Monday and the officials of Bubanza province have failed to resolve their complaints concerning food hygiene.
The standoff took place at Mitakataka 10 kilometres from Bubanza. The police shot into the air, stopping the demonstration for an hour before leading to the fighting that caused all the injuries. Some of the students who have been on a hunger strike since Monday when the protest started have been going unconscious.
Their daily meals have included stale casserole and the students and their principle do not deny it. The stumbling-block to the settlement of this issue is that the principal has rejected that all students should be screened to check if these casseroles have had consequences on the students' health. He, however, accepted that four students should be screened from each class.
It has been very difficult to get casseroles for schools on the domestic markets recently. In the meantime, the number of students in boarding schools goes on rising. Principals of schools rely on barrels to make these casseroles, posing the risk of oxidation.
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