Burundi : arrests and targeted violence against members of the “Burundi bwa Bose” coalition in Makamba

SOS Médias Burundi

Makamba, May 12, 2025—Less than a month before the legislative and district elections scheduled for June 5, 2025, political tensions are rising in Burundi. In the southern province of Makamba, arrests, kidnappings, and acts of intimidation targeting members of the opposition coalition “Burundi bwa Bose” and the CNL party are increasing. The Imbonerakure, young people affiliated with the ruling party, are being singled out.

At Gasange, in Makamba district, Nzoyihaya Vincent, the coalition’s representative in this village, was arrested last Wednesday and imprisoned in the district police station cell. On the same day, Hatungimana Gaspard, the coalition leader in the Kabuye zone, was also arrested. According to witnesses, he narrowly escaped imprisonment but has since been missing.

In the neighboring district of Mabanda, two other coalition members were also arrested last week, under circumstances that remain unclear, according to provincial officials of “Burundi bwa Bose.”

Violent acts were also reported. In Kabo village, former detainees who were members of the coalition were held captive by Imbonerakure last Tuesday. The Imbonerakure accused them of reporting to the police the actions of one of their own, Benjamin Niyoyankunze, suspected of attempting to sever the arm of Jonas Niyomwungere, a coalition activist, on the night of May 9-10. Despite the seriousness of the attack, the alleged perpetrator was not arrested, as the Imbonerakure blocked the police.

In Buheka, Nyanza-Lac district, an activist nicknamed “Parizi” was violently beaten by youth members of the ruling party before being taken to a local office, without any official charges being brought against him.

Elsewhere, in Kayogoro district, two CNL party activists are held in the Makamba prosecutor’s cell. They are suspected of distributing election leaflets. Other activists are on the run.

Leaders of “Burundi bwa Bose” denounce a systematic campaign of intimidation against their members. They claim that simple election materials—such as logos and leaflets—are being used as a pretext for arbitrary arrests.

These incidents add to a series of political violence marring the electoral process, fueling fears of a highly tense election. The CNDD-FDD party’s youth league, the Imbonerakure—literally, “those who see far” in Kirundi—is regularly accused by national and international organizations of playing a central role in political repression in Burundi. Present in all the country’s districts, these young people actively participate in night patrols alongside law enforcement and in border security. But they are also frequently cited in cases of violence, intimidation, kidnappings, and extrajudicial executions, particularly against members of the opposition or the civil society.

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The Makamba prosecutor’s office where some opponents are detained (SOS Médias Burundi)