Bubanza : a strategic mining site brings down two officials in one week

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, November 16, 2025 – Two days after the dismissal of the Bubanza district administrator on October 31, the provincial police commissioner, Épitace Gitamira, was also suspended from his duties. According to several local sources contacted by SOS Médias Burundi, the two officials are allegedly involved in the same case related to mining operations in the Ntamba zone of ​​Bubanza district, in Bujumbura province, western Burundi.

According to our information, Commissioner Gitamira is currently held at his home, unarmed, without a service vehicle or official means of communication. The decision was followed by a request for an explanation issued on Monday, November 3, 2025, by the regional police commissioner. However, according to a source close to the case, the document remained at the provincial office and was never forwarded.

The case stems from an incident at the Ntamba mining site, rich in coltan, a highly sought-after strategic mineral. Formerly operated by a local cooperative, the site is now at the center of a power struggle between several stakeholders, including a mining company comprised of young people and financed by the PAEEJ (Youth Economic Empowerment and Employment Program), a Burundian government project already active at the Gahongore site. The former operating company was reportedly sidelined in favor of this emerging entity, exacerbating tensions in the region.

According to testimonies gathered on site, the local administration authority had an official from a PAEEJ-run cooperative arrested on October 27. He was reportedly released a few hours later following the intervention of the Minister of Internal Security, Community Development, and Public Security. The same minister then suspended the local administration authority and the provincial commissioner.

Commissioner Gitamira is accused of providing security support to one of the private companies by establishing a police post on the site, in violation of official directives.

Local sources claim that the dNtamba site is particularly sensitive : since the mines were placed under the direct control of President Évariste Ndayishimiye (Neva), several local companies have reportedly been forced to cease operations. The suspended officials are suspected of having attempted to intimidate young entrepreneurs known to be close to the president, which allegedly exacerbated tensions.

Intelligence services have reportedly already questioned several political and security officials involved in the case.

A replacement appointed

On Friday, November 14, 2025, the Minister of Security appointed Police Colonel Salvator Simbananiye as the new provincial commissioner of Bubanza, replacing Épitace Gitamira.

It should be noted that the number of provincial police stations remains at 18, despite the new administrative division resulting from the June 2025 legislative elections, which officially reduces the number of provinces to 5. The reform has therefore not yet been implemented at the police command level.

This double suspension, followed by a swift appointment, highlights the persistent tensions surrounding the amanagement of mineral resources in Bujumbura province and the sometimes opaque links between economic interests and security apparatuses.