Bujumbura : Intimidation, resignation, and demands : testimonies of women voters on the election day

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, June 5, 2025 –
In Bujumbura, on June 5, 2025, several women voters shared their impressions of the election process. Between fear of the ruling party’s militias, political disinterest, and daily difficulties, their testimonies reveal a contrasting reality, between apparent calm and underlying tensions.

N. E., interviewed at the polling station at the Gihosha Municipal Secondary School, confided that she was forced to vote out of fear of the Imbonerakure, the youth league affiliated with the ruling party, who are very active in her community.

“I need this damn ink on my finger to show that I voted, otherwise I risk being persecuted,” she declared, visibly tense.

She laments not having been convinced by the candidates’ platforms and expresses her hope for more competent future elected officials.

“I’m angry with the ruling party. I hope the future elected officials will be able to make a difference,” she added.

Around 8:00 a.m., the polling station was already full, with no major anomalies reported at that time.

A call for peace from small traders

At the ECOFO (Basic School) – Gikungu II polling station, several women street vendors selling fruits and vegetables made a passionate appeal to the future elected officials.

“We need to be allowed to run our small businesses in peace,” explained one of them, carrying a basket of avocados on her head.

These women traders describe the difficulties they face : police harassment, confiscation of goods, and unjustified arrests.

“Sometimes we’re arrested, treated like troublemakers whereas all we’re doing is buying our daily bread,” complains another.

They regret that official markets are saturated, leaving no other option but informal trade.

Martha, one of the vendors, sends a clear message to future district councilors and parliamentarians :

“We ask these elected officials to defend the rights of small traders in the informal sector. We, too, keep the economy going.”

UPRONA party electoral monitor srrested in unclear circumstances

Moreover, in the Mutanga Sud neighborhood of Bujumbura, a UPRONA party electoral monitor was arrested in circumstances that remain unclear, raising questions about the freedom of action of political representatives in the electoral context.

On June 5, these testimonies show that while the election is progressing without any apparent major incidents, deep tensions, linked to fear, harassment, and social expectations, persist in the commercial capital. SOS Médias Burundi will continue to closely monitor the progress of the electoral process and citizens’ reactions.