Macabre discovery in Mutaho: Elderly Woman found hanged, suspected murder disguised as suicide

SOS Médias Burundi

Mutaho, June 23, 2025 – Tragedy has struck the Kinyinya hill in Mutaho commune, Gitega province (central Burundi), following the grim discovery of the lifeless body of Mathilde Ndereyimana, a 67-year-old woman found hanged inside her home on Thursday, June 19, 2025, around 4 p.m.

According to a witness at the scene, all signs suggest this was not a suicide but rather a murder staged to look like one. The victim, who lived alone, is believed to have been killed by unidentified individuals before her body was positioned to simulate a suicide. The local police, who quickly intervened, confirmed this suspicion.

The deceased’s body was transported to the morgue at Mutaho Hospital, pending the results of an autopsy that will determine the exact cause of death.

As part of the investigation, a suspect has been arrested. Sympholien Kavamahanga, 69, is currently in police custody in Mutaho and is being questioned about the circumstances surrounding this suspicious death.

For now, the motive for the crime remains unclear. However, residents of Kinyinya are speculating that the case might be linked to witchcraft, a belief still prevalent in some rural communities.

This incident occurs just eleven days after another tragedy on June 8, on Masango hill, also in Mutaho commune, where a 36-year-old man, Jean Maniratunga, was likewise found hanged in his home in broad daylight.

Two hangings in less than two weeks: a dark series plunging Mutaho into fear and confusion. Increasingly, Gitega province is earning the nickname “the cemetery province,” according to one shocked resident, due to the recurrence of suspicious deaths. The population is calling on authorities to shed full light on these troubling events and to strengthen security in the region.