Bujumbura : Congolese targeted in repeated raids

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, September 30, 2025 – Since last Friday, several Congolese living in different neighborhoods of Burundi’s commercial capital have been targeted by raids carried out by the Burundian police. The latest operation, which took place early Monday morning in the Cibitoke neighborhood, sowed panic and increased the feeling of insecurity within the Congolese community.

A large-scale operation by the Burundian police caused panic early Monday morning in the Cibitoke neighborhood, specifically targeting Congolese nationals. Several avenues were searched, dozens of men and women arrested, and then bundled into trucks without explanation and headed to the municipal police station.

According to several witnesses, this operation was not improvised. The cordon, which began in the early hours of the morning, affected the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th avenues in the Cibitoke neighborhood.

The police appeared to have a precise list of homes hosting Congolese citizens belonging to various mutual insurance companies. Witnesses described the operation as “meticulously planned,” with preparations reportedly beginning the previous Friday.

“The search had indeed been organized since last week. It was no accident,” said a resident who requested anonymity.

Roundups without explanation

Law enforcement carried out mass arrests of men and women, regardless of their administrative status. Trucks transported them to the municipal police station, without providing any explanation to their relatives or neighbors. This situation caused deep concern among both Congolese and Burundians living in the surrounding area.

Among those who escaped this roundup, Blaise, a young Congolese, recounts :
“I left very early for the Cotebu market (where one of the largest parking lots serving several regions in the center, northwest, northeast, and east is located). When I returned, I discovered that all my Congolese neighbors had been arrested. The police had taken them without saying anything and taken them to the police station. My neighbors have all left; it’s a real problem, especially for schoolchildren and students.”

This operation has rekindled fear in other neighborhoods of Bujumbura where many Congolese live, such as Mutakura, Buterere, Buyenzi, and Bwiza, which have already been affected by similar roundups in the past.

“My close family, who live in Cibitoke, were arrested this morning. My brother and his wife were taken away, and their children were left alone in the house. “I went to stay with them while I waited for their parents to return,” says Clotilde, a distraught resident.

Disturbing precedents

This type of raid is not the first time it has occurred. Congolese nationals living in Bujumbura are regularly targeted by violent operations. Some families even claim to have been forced to pay bribes to secure the release of their loved ones.

On September 8 and 9, at least 578 Congolese refugees were arrested in several localities in the districts of Cibitoke and Bukinanyana, in Bujumbura province, and then deported to the DRC. But their crossing was prevented by the Wazalendo militia, now in control of the city of Uvira in South Kivu province, which borders Burundi. These militiamen had accused them of being spies for Rwanda and enemies of the Democratic Republic of Congo, simply because they were from Kamanyola and its surrounding areas, an area under the control of the M23 rebels, suspected of receiving support from Rwanda—a claim Kigali formally denies.

Silence from the authorities

So far, no official statement has been made by the Burundian authorities to explain the motives for the operation or the fate of those arrested. The Congolese community, for its part, is waiting for answers—but above all, for guarantees for its safety and dignity.