Bujumbura : maternal distress behind the rise in infanticide and abandonment

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, August 4, 2025 – The last weeks of July were marked by a series of tragedies in several neighborhoods of the commercial capital. infants were abandoned or killed by their own mothers, desperate acts that reveal the distress of some women and raise questions about shared responsibilities within families.

In Gisyo, in the Kanyosha zone, south of Bujumbura, a domestic worker gave birth in secret before ending her baby’s life. According to witnesses, she had just started work and no one suspected her pregnancy. After giving birth, she allegedly placed the baby in a bag before throwing it behind the house. The body was found in the neighboring plot, allowing residents to quickly alert the police.

In Heha, in the Kamenge zone, north of Bujumbura, another case shocked residents. A woman allegedly suffocated her newborn before flushing the body down the toilet. The discovery was made by a neighbor. The police intervened immediately, and the suspect was taken into custody.

At Prince Régent Charles Hospital, a woman abandoned her approximately one-month-old infant in the neonatal ward. The mother was not identified. The medical team cared for the child for over a week before he was adopted by a family on Friday, July 25.

Another disturbing incident was reported in Rubirizi, on the outskirts of Bujumbura. A woman broke into a house that did not belong to her and abandoned a baby, entrusting it to a six-year-old child before disappearing. The child, too young to understand, remained alone with the infant until the authorities intervened.

Nearly two months ago, a decomposing infant was also discovered in a downtown gallery, abandoned for several days. Workers there, alerted by an unbearable odor, made the gruesome discovery.

Deep unhappiness behind these acts

For many observers, these extreme acts reveal profound social and psychological distress. Poverty, lack of sex education, unwanted pregnancies, and a lack of family support—particularly from partners—are often cited as the main causes.

“Too many women are abandoned after pregnancy, left to fend for themselves. This can no longer be ignored. It’s time to remember that children are a shared responsibility,” emphasized a nursing assistant at the Prince Régent Charles Hospital in Bujumbura.

Faced with this upsurge, several sources are calling on the relevant authorities to intensify awareness campaigns on sexual and reproductive health, as well as to strengthen support mechanisms for women in distress.