Muyinga : a man killed by a policewoman

The crime occurred on Wednesday at nightfall, in the locality of Gatongati. It is in the Rugari zone, in the district and province of Muyinga (northeast Burundi). Residents attacked the police officer. She was seriously beaten up and her weapon stolen. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The police officer behind the murder is assigned to the urban center of Muyinga. She is commonly known by the nickname “Mama wa Reta (or mother of the government in English)”. Her victim is a man from the locality of Gatongati named Zambolin, in his forties, learned SOS Médias Burundi from local residents.

“At the time of the incident, Zambolin had two cans of gasoline on his bike. Two police officers ordered him to stop but he refused to comply. The policewoman shot him at point-blank range. He died on the spot,” witnesses said.

Men who were at the scene attacked this PNB (Burundi National Police) officer. Photos of her seen by SOS Médias Burundi show her in a very critical condition. She was seriously injured in the face. The same individuals disarmed her. Her weapon was also stolen, according to residents. According to witnesses to the scene, the policewoman was going to be killed, had it not been for the intervention of her colleagues after another officer fled to seek help. In an audio recording shared on the WhatsApp messaging service, a police officer called for the murder of civilians “who want to exterminate us”. When she intervened, the team of police officers fired several bullets in the air, according to residents.

In the aftermath, several local men did not spend the night at home. They fled, fearing revenge from the police.

Provincial representatives of the administration, police and intelligence travelled to Gatongati on Wednesday evening. They announced the launch of an investigation.