DC DC - Burundi robotics team, 6 teens 16-18, Washington DC, 18 July 2017

[skydelta3574]

Two of the six teenages crossed into Canada and are safe, they are Don Charu Ingabire, 16, and Audrey Mwamikazi, 17. Authorities would not describe how the teenagers planned to leave Washington or how the two made it to Canada.

The four others also are believed to be in safe hands, but authorities declined to provide further details.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...056e768a7e5_story.html?utm_term=.e58221d3ed17

Thank God for Canada.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Irish_Eyes]

I wonder if their parents knew. If not, who knows what kinds of emotions they might be feeling. If the parents were in on it then I assume that they are elated.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Their coach said he saw few signs that the teens had hatched a secret bid for possible asylum in the U.S. or Canada. They appeared nervous, but he chalked that up to the competition and their new surroundings.

“Before, I thought they were acting a bit strangely, I thought maybe it was their first time to be there, to see the big buildings that we don’t have here.”

Before closing ceremonies, their coach saw the teens onto the floor of the auditorium once more. They carried tiny flags and joined the throng of other competitors whistling and whooping, the ecstatic close to an exhilarating three-day competition. From the highest seats, the coach said, it was impossible to see the teens. He said he planned to decompress with the team over pizza and coke after the competition, a reward for the hard work that earned them a 73rd place finish out of about 160 teams.

Police said this is when at least some of the team members slipped away, taking advantage of the noise and the chaos surrounding the competition’s end to disappear. At least one team member, Aristide, stayed behind. He helped their coach load the team’s robot onto a school bus that would take them back to their dorms at Trinity University. Then, Aristide carried the robot to the coach's room and told the coach that he was going to take a shower.

As Bindaba [the coach] unloaded his bag, he noticed something peculiar: the other five team members had apparently secreted their name tags and room keys in to Bindaba’s bag. For the coach, it was a deeply unsettling discovery. “I knew something nasty was happening,” Bindaba said. “I felt it from within.”

He then rushed to Aristide’s room: he was not there, and he had left behind a mess of pizza boxes and snacks. He checked the other rooms, too: the teens had still not returned. “I cannot really describe what I felt over there, but it was really scary for me,” Bindaba said.

Bindaba also began sending panicked messages to the teen’s parents back in Burundi. But their replies made Bindaba suspicious: one child’s uncle told the coach that perhaps the children were nearby; another’s mother told him to “cool down,” that perhaps the team was out having fun. “I am not seeing the kids,” Bindaba said. “How can I cool down?”

Just after midnight Wednesday, about 17 hours before the teens were set to depart from Dulles Airport, missing persons reports were filed. Their sober passport portraits went up on the D.C. police Twitter account, under the banner “MISSING PERSONS.”

Bindaba, who was unable to afford another plane ticket and had been assured the students were safe, headed home. The following morning, when Bindaba was still en route, police would announce two of the teens had made it to Canada.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...the-teens-disappeared/?utm_term=.5699f73df4ed

 

[GigTu]

This is an exact scenario where governments need to support the safety of people before just sending them back to a hostile country. They are safe now, so I hope that continues.

 

[GigTu]

Burundi is a small country in East Africa bordered by Tanzania, Rwanda, and Lake Tanganyika.

The State Department issued a travel warning in late June, advising Americans of “political tensions, political and criminal violence, and the potential for civil unrest.” That warning stated that rebel forces, ex-combatants and youth gangs from the Democratic Republic of Congo had reportedly attacked and kidnapped civilians, while armed groups have ambushed vehicles.

http://www.pressherald.com/2017/07/20/six-teens-from-burundi-robotics-team-reported-missing-in-d-c/

They look like really clean cut, nice kids. I hope they continue to be safe and wind up with mentors who can help them grow into awesome, productive adults.

 

[SleuthyLou]

It sounds like the coach truly had no idea; I feel for him. That would be a panicking situation to be in, especially if the parents and families didn't react as expected. And for him to have to get on a plane and leave without closure, that would be unsettling.

 

[TeaTime]

I bet that their parents know exactly where the other 4 are hiding out. This was a plan that teens just can't pull off alone. Glad they are safe but it doesn't mean that they get to stay.

 

[YaYa_521]

*modsnip*/ there is no indication on their whereabouts, still considered missing

BBM

The Burundi Robotics Team: the real reason they went missing

On Thursday 20 July, Police reported that two of the six students were seen crossing the Canadian border and were reported safe with friends or relatives. The other four were said to be safe, according to police officials.

No foul play: Burundi robotics teens likely meant to vanish

Police now say that two of the six were seen crossing into Canada, and they don’t suspect foul play with any of them. Event organizers said Thursday that their disappearance may have been “self-initiated.” A member of the Burundi-American community was a little more straightforward, saying he has little doubt the teens are seeking asylum, though he emphasized he had no direct knowledge of the situation.

 

[YaYa_521]

*modsnip*/ there is no indication on their whereabouts, still considered missing

Thanks for a quick reply. Just what I figured.

Questions - is it unusal that no one, especially govt. authorities has said whether in fact all members of the team have been located? Who has the jurisdiction or authority to confirm? And, more importantly (IMO) WHY HAVEN'T THEY?

Also, just a note. I pulled up a wiki page for Burundi believing there would at least be some reference to this case. Nothing! Okaaaay, I know wiki isn't any kind of "trusted source" but isn't it true that almost every move made by anyone/thing/place/etc. gets splashed somewhere on Wiki? I'm being kinda sarcastic but seriously, isn't this considered a major international event? If so, it is as hush hush as a I've ever seen. Just my opinion of course.

Thanks again, admins.

 

[lindamichelle1]

‘In Afghanistan, We Laugh Differently’ (Published 2019)

For a handful of teenage girls, robotics offered a reprieve from their violent, patriarchal country. Now they are back home, with the Taliban poised to gain power.

www.nytimes.com

March 30,2019 article

‘In Afghanistan, We Laugh Differently’​

For a handful of teenage girls, robotics offered a reprieve from their violent, patriarchal country. Now they are back home, with the Taliban poised to gain power.