Persistent tensions on the border : the Malagarazi River is sweeping away the Burundian land, the Rutana court reacts firmly

SOS Médias Burundi

Rutana, October 13, 2025 — As the Malagarazi River changes its course and sweeps away Burundian land to the benefit of Tanzania, border tensions are intensifying. The Rutana court has just struck hard, issuing two exemplary judgments in defense of the country’s sovereignty.

For several months, the Malagarazi River, which separates Burundi and Tanzania, has been a source of serious concern. Its course has shifted since the last rainy season, gradually encroaching on the Burundian land.

Residents of the former districts of Kibago, Kayogoro, and Bukemba claim that this diversion of the riverbed has caused the disappearance of several fields and homes on the Burundian side. Some accuse Tanzanians of wanting to appropriate land that has now passed to the other side of the river.

Despite several meetings between Burundian authorities in border provinces and their Tanzanian counterparts, tensions remain high. Soldiers from both countries, deployed for several months, remain in place, avoiding any direct confrontation.

It was in this tense climate that the Rutana First Instance Court issued two landmark judgments on Monday, October 6, illustrating the firmness of the Burundian justice system in the face of acts perceived as threats to the national sovereignty and public safety.

In the first case, fifteen people—including loaders and stevedores—were found guilty of destroying a dam owned by the SOSUMO sugar company, built on the Malagarazi River.
According to the judgment, the dam was erected in an attempt to restore the riverbed to its former course after the shifting waters had washed away part of the farmland and destroyed several sugarcane plantations. Investigations revealed that the accused allegedly acted on the orders of Tanzanian soldiers, following a secret meeting held on the Tanzanian territory.
They were each sentenced to twenty years of penal servitude and ordered to pay 12,002,000 Bif in damages to SOSUMO.

In the second case, Éric Niyonzima was arrested on the Malagarazi River while attempting to smuggle two children under the age of 18 into Tanzania via an illegal border crossing.
Found guilty of child trafficking, he was sentenced to two years in prison.

For many observers, these decisions reflect Burundi’s desire to defend its borders, protect its children, and ensure the national security in a context of increasing pressure on the southern border.