RSF 2025 Index : Burundi continues to slide in an increasingly hostile African media landscape

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, May 2, 2025 – Burundi has fallen 17 places and is now ranked 125th in the world in the 2025 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index. This decline confirms the increasingly difficult environment in which Burundian journalists operate, while Africa as a whole is experiencing an alarming downward trend in press freedom.

The small East African nation is among the African countries that have recorded a significant decline in press freedom. Ranking 125th out of 180 and with a score of 45.44, Burundi has fallen 17 places compared to last year. This latest decline comes despite some tentative signals from President Évariste Ndayishimiye.

In the country, two female journalists were recently sentenced to prison terms for “undermining the integrity of the national territory,” and one of them remains in detention. The media landscape, once among the most dynamic in the region, has been devastated since the 2015 coup attempt. Several media outlets now operate from exile, and those that remain operate under constant pressure.

RSF highlights a worrying deterioration across Africa, where 80% of countries have recorded a decline in their economic press freedom score. The concentration of media outlets in the hands of those close to the government or politicized businessmen, combined with dependence on public advertising budgets, seriously undermines editorial independence. This is the case in Nigeria (122nd), Togo (121st), and Benin (92nd).

In several countries, such as Burkina Faso (105th, down 19 places) and Guinea (103rd), administrative decisions have weakened dozens of newsrooms, causing massive job losses and revenue declines. In eastern DRC (133rd, down 10 places), conflicts have forced many journalists to flee or close their media outlets.

The RSF press freedom map is increasingly tinged with red : seven African countries are now in the “very serious” category, including Uganda (143rd), Ethiopia (145th), Rwanda (146th), and Burundi (125th). Despite the release of journalist Floriane Irangabiye in 2024, the situation remains critical.

Globally, Norway retains first place in the ranking, with a score of 92.31, up slightly from 91.89 in 2024. Eritrea remains last, with 11.32 points, down from 16.64 last year. These two constants highlight the enormous gap between the best and worst environments for press freedom.

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Employees of the Iwacu press group gathered in the courtyard in front of the portrait of Jean Bigirimana, who disappeared on July 22, 2016, photo taken on July 23, 2024 in Bujumbura ©️ SOS Médias Burundi