The guns are being used in robberies, killings and violence against women and children, Methodist Bishop Noe Nzeyimana said in an interview in the capital city, Bujumbura. "Insecurity in Burundi is because of these arms which are everywhere."
Burundi has been caught in a cycle of conflicts since independence in 1962. But church leaders and government officials are now looking to keep peace efforts on track and have invited a delegation of African leaders with experience in disarming populations to work with them.
"We have ex-combatants who have been demobilised but not disarmed. They have also not been re-integrated," explained Fred Nyabera, the Kenyan Baptist executive secretary of the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes Region and Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA).
"The gun gives them identity, in situation where ex-combatants feel they need to defend themselves against an external threat," added Nyabera.
The delegation is part of the Eminent Persons Ecumenical Programme (EPEPPA) and includes representatives from the World Council of Churches (WCC), the All Africa Conference of Churches and FECCLAHA, including Joaquim Chissano, the former president of Mozambique.
Although a peace process is currently being implemented in the country, one rebel group, the Palipehutu-FNL, has remained outside the process. For those who are party to the ceasefire agreement a proper disarmament programme has not been carried out.
"We need to settle the situation. We need to calm these triggers," said Youssef Mahmoud, the executive representative of the UN secretary general in Burundi, while meeting the delegation.
"For us the issue of insecurity comes first. It feeds into the absence of FNL [in full Palipehutu-Forces for National Liberation]," Mahmoud said.
