Double murder in Butaganzwa : an Imbonerakure arrested, two others on the run after the lynching of two elderly women

SOS Médias Burundi

Ruyigi, May 12, 2025 – Two elderly women were brutally killed last Friday in Rugongo, in the district of Butaganzwa (Ruyigi province) in eastern Burundi, by three young men identified as members of the ruling party’s youth league, the Imbonerakure. One of them was arrested; the other two are on the run. This tragedy highlights the unpunished violence committed by some Imbonerakure, even though they are often involved in security missions alongside the police and the army.

The victims, Scholastique Citegetse (68 years old) and Judith Gakobwa (74 years old), were forcibly removed from their home by three youths from their village : Patrice Ndoricimpa, Fabrice Ndayishimiye, and Philbert Ndayizeye. The attackers took them to the Masake trading center, also in Rugongo, where they were tied up and beaten to death with clubs in broad daylight and in front of several witnesses. The two women were accused, without any evidence, of witchcraft.

“It was a horrible scene. They were screaming, but no one dared to intervene,” said a local resident.
The deputy chief of Rugongo village, Libère Niyonzima, confirmed the double murder and stated that the victims’ bodies were buried the following day, Saturday, May 10.

The same day, Patrice Ndoricimpa was arrested. His two alleged accomplices, Fabrice Ndayishimiye and Philbert Ndayizeye, have fled. Butaganzwa’s district administrator, Rémy Ndarufatiye, says the police are actively searching for them. “They will face justice. These acts cannot go unpunished,” he said.

Who are the Imbonerakure?

The Imbonerakure (a Kirundi word meaning “those who see far”) are members of the youth league of the CNDD-FDD, Burundi’s ruling party. Officially, they are presented as activists committed to community development and strengthening grassroots security. But in reality, these young people are regularly accused of serious abuses : torture, enforced disappearances, sexual assault, and extrajudicial executions, often linked to the repression of the opposition.

In several regions, they participate in night patrols, monitor movements, and collaborate with defense forces in securing borders. This militarization has been criticized by human rights defenders, who denounce armed youths often acting with impunity.

This double murder has rekindled the debate on the involvement of the Imbonerakure in district violence and abuses in the countryside. Calls for a firm response from the authorities are growing, ensuring justice for the victims and ensuring the law is applied without distinction.

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A village in Butaganzwa district in eastern Burundi where two elderly women were lynched to death by the Imbonerakure ©️ SOS Médias Burundi