Makamba-Rutana: the ruling party launches a forced fundraising campaign

Residents of Rutana and Makamba provinces (southeast of Burundi) are called upon to respond to the CNDD-FDD party’s fundraising campaign for the elections due in 2025. Members of the ruling party’s youth league travel across communes to collect funds. According to some residents, this collection should normally only concern members of the ruling party. Which is not the case, according to our sources. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Members of the Imbonerakure youth league and certain grassroot administration officials dressed in CNDD-FDD (ruling party) outfits roam the hills and break into households with CNDD-FDD receipts.

“You will also find them on the barriers next to the municipal tax collectors across all the communes. In certain communes like Makamba and Giharo, these Imbonerakure demand a sum of between 1000 Burundian francs and 2000. They are given a receipt with the CNDD-FDD logo on which we can read *contribution to the 2025 elections”, say residents.

Administration officials are making threats against those who have not contributed.

Officials of the CNL party (National Congress for Freedom) and other parties labelling themselves of the opposition accuse the CNDD-FDD party of harassing their activists, especially since administrative officials and those of the CNDD-FDD have always arrested parties activists trying to collect funds for their own parties.

They demand an immediate end to these fundraising, pointing out that residents are in extreme poverty.

The CNDD-FDD officials contacted say these contributions are intended to support their party’s elections in the province of Burunga and that they only concern activists of the former Hutu rebellion.

In a meeting held in early August at the CNDD-FDD national office in the commercial city Bujumbura, CNDD-FDD representatives were informed that they must collect a sum of 4 billion for the province alone.