Burundi : the provincial police commissioner in Ngozi arrested over alleged coffee trafficking

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, November 5, 2020— Colonel Bonfort Ndoreraho, Provincial Commissioner of the Burundi National Police (PNB) for Ngozi, was arrested on Monday by agents of the National Intelligence Service (SNR) and taken directly to their headquarters in Bujumbura, Burundi’s commercial capital.

This arrest is part of an investigation into coffee trafficking involving several actors, including employees of the Coffee Hulling and Packaging Company (Sodeco).

14 tons of coffee seized in Kobero

According to our sources, 14 tons of coffee were seized last weekend by border police in Kobero, a town in the district of Muyinga, Buhumuza Province, in northeastern Burundi. The Kobero road, far from being clandestine, is a well-traveled official trade route used by vehicles transporting goods between Burundi and Tanzania.

Investigators suspect that this shipment was destined for Rwanda, bypassing legal distribution channels. Upon learning of the seizure, Colonel Ndoreraho allegedly attempted to bribe the agents to recover the merchandise, but without success.

Attempted escape and arrest

After learning that a team from the National Intelligence Service (SNR) was heading to Ngozi to arrest him, Ndoreraho reportedly tried to hide in a secret location. According to police sources, the intelligence agents then detained his wife, whom they allegedly mistreated to obtain information about his hiding place. Ultimately, the commissioner surrendered and was escorted to Bujumbura for questioning.

Colonel Ndoreraho’s career

Police Colonel Bonfort Ndoreraho held several positions before being sent to Ngozi, including in the commercial capital and in the former Cibitoke province in the northwest, where he was described as one of the more approachable officers, seeking to involve the population in local security.

Interim appointment and organization of police stations

The regional commissioner appointed Lieutenant Colonel Jean Bosco Niyonsenga to serve as interim head of the Ngozi provincial police. The number of provincial police stations remains at 18, contrary to the new administrative division following the June 2025 legislative elections, which reduces the number of provinces to 5 instead of 18.

Reactions and the national context

President Évariste Ndayishimiye has repeatedly stated that Burundi will not tolerate any misappropriation or trafficking of its resources, whether coffee or minerals. He stressed the need to combat corruption and impunity within security institutions and in the management of strategic resources.

This case, involving coffee trafficking, attempted bribery, and the alleged involvement of a high-ranking officer in the Burundi National Police (PNB), is shaking the Burundian police force and could mark a turning point in the fight against corruption and impunity within the country’s security forces.