Burunga : a UPRONA official and his family victims of a punitive expedition

SOS Médias Burundi

Burunga, September 16, 2025 – In Burunga province, southern Burundi, a local UPRONA official and his family were violently attacked. This incident once again illustrates the political violence that continues to target the opposition, often attributed to members of the youth league of the CNDD-FDD, the ruling party.

A punitive expedition in the open field

While working on his plot of land on Monday, September 15, Théoneste Juma, UPRONA party official in the Butezi zone, was surrounded and beaten by a group of individuals, including young Imbonerakure.

His relatives were also targeted. His wife, Judith, as well as Sarah, Naasson, and Leyarine, were all seriously injured and evacuated to Giharo district hospital around 10 p.m.

A conflict disguised as a family matter

The attackers cited “family quarrels,” but the Juma family denounced a political conspiracy aimed at removing him. They accuse certain local CNDD-FDD officials of giving direct instructions to prevent any legal proceedings.

On Monday evening, Léonard Ruhoranyi, CNDD-FDD secretary in the village, arrived at the scene. Rather than accompanying the victims to the police station, he reportedly ordered them to remain in the village office until late at night, under the pretext of an “internal investigation,” to prevent any complaints from being filed with the judicial police.

Orchestrated blockades at the provincial high level

This is not the first time that Mr. Juma’s complaints have been blocked. According to his family, the local police systematically invoked instructions from the CNDD-FDD provincial secretary, Sylvain Nzikoruriho, to bury the cases. The Giharo police have never denied these accusations, claiming that these disputes are “politically motivated.”

The family fears that, once again, the attackers will go unpunished and that Théoneste Juma himself will be jailed in Rutana Central Prison, as has been the case in the past.

A land dispute used as a tool

The origins of the conflict reportedly date back to 2019, after Mr. Juma left the CNDD-FDD. A land dispute was allegedly used as a pretext to target him, at a time when political tensions were already high. According to his family, ruling party officials vowed to “kill or imprison” him as long as he remained outside the CNDD-FDD. Théoneste Juma had already spent two years in detention before being released without any charges being brought against him.

A climate of fear for the opposition

For residents of the area, Monday’s attack looked like a planned operation : “It wasn’t a coincidence, everything was prepared,” one of them said.

This episode once again illustrates the recurring pressure and violence targeting local opposition leaders, as well as the active or passive role of certain authorities in the persistence of a climate of political impunity in Burunga province.