Bujumbura : Colonel Moïse Arakaza, alias Nyeganyega, detained for illegal fuel trafficking

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, August 14, 2025 – Police Colonel Moïse Arakaza, alias Nyeganyega—often cited in cases of human rights violations—was arrested on Thursday in Bujumbura. He is suspected of being involved in illegal fuel trafficking from Tanzania, according to police sources.

The incident began on Wednesday, August 13, when the officer was intercepted in Kigwena, in Rumonge district, Burunga province (southwest), while transporting 60 liters of gasoline in his personal vehicle, a Probox. According to testimonies, he allegedly brandished his service weapon to threaten the police officers on duty. The latter allegedly let him leave in his vehicle, without collecting the fuel.

A few minutes later, a second vehicle, a Renault equipped with a homemade 500-liter tank, was stopped in Mutambara, on the RN3, shortly before entering the town of Rumonge. On board were two men, identified as Paul Ndagijimana and Asmani Tuyihimbaze, presented as employees of Colonel Arakaza.

The two defendants were brought before the Rumonge First Instance Court the following day for undermining the national economy. They pleaded guilty, stating : “We could not refuse the offer when poverty is rife in our families,” while acknowledging that they had acted on the orders of their superior.

The verdict was handed down in flagrante delicto proceedings : one year in prison each, a fine of one million Burundi francs, and 500,000 BIF in damages to be paid to the state.

Meanwhile, a warrant from the Attorney General of the Republic had been issued against Colonel Arakaza. He was summoned by his superiors in Bujumbura and detained at the judicial police station in the commercial capital.

Police Colonel Moïse Arakaza, alias Nyeganyega, is also cited in human rights violations, including assassinations, in the district where he served as a district commissioner, particularly in the south, north, and west of Burundi. He is currently stationed in the south of the country without a specific position.