In both cases the illegal behavior was encouraged or tolerated by government and party officials. The Governor of Makamba dismissed concerns about groups in Kayogoro, referring to them as “local security committees.”[231] CNDD-FDD spokesperson Onésime Nduwimana explained that local party members were attempting to mobilize the community to patrol and find those who were burning down their headquarters. He said the problem was that the patrols had become obligatory, with party members compelling others to participate. He recognized that the forced patrols were interpreted by others as intimidation, and said the police should take over the patrols.[232] In the case of Busoni, Nduwimana said the youth group’s activities were “simply sports”[233] and were not intended to intimidate the political opposition.[234]