Two lifeless bodies discovered in a bush on the banks of the Rusizi River

SOS Médias Burundi

Cibitoke, September 28, 2025 – On Saturday, September 27, two corpses in an advanced state of decomposition were found in a wooded area near the Rusizi River, at the 12th avenue, on Rusiga village, Cibitoke zone, Bujumbura province, bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo. The victims, two men whose identities remain unknown, were reportedly killed several days earlier and then abandoned in this isolated location.

According to military sources patrolling the border region, the alert was raised after a strong, suspicious odor was detected in the area. As they approached, law enforcement discovered the bodies of two men, presumably killed nearly five days earlier.
Local authorities, accompanied by police and members of the Imbonerakure, the youth league of the CNDD-FDD, the ruling party, arrived at the scene. Given the advanced state of decomposition, it was decided to bury them immediately, on the orders of the district administration.

Popular concern

Residents of Rusiga village express deep concern about these repeated killings. They point out that this area, located on the banks of the Rusizi River, which separates Burundi from the DRC, is regularly the scene of gruesome discoveries.
“Lifeless bodies are found here almost every month. But the perpetrators are never identified,” laments a resident they met there. Fearing for their safety, local residents are demanding that these murders be investigated in order to end this persistent climate of insecurity.

Call for vigilance

The administrator of Cibitoke district confirmed the facts. He justified the rapid burial of the remains by public health reasons, as the site was close to cultivated fields.
He also called on the population to cooperate more closely with the security services by reporting any suspicious presence in the area.

A recurring practice

The district of Cibitoke is often the scene of gruesome discoveries of bodies abandoned in the bush or near the Rusizi River. In most cases, the remains are buried in haste without any investigation being conducted to identify the victims or search for the perpetrators. The authorities systematically explain this decision by the desire to avoid any risk of contamination of the local population.