Burundi : a commission visits several prisons and reviews the cases of political prisoners and coup plotters

SOS Médias Burundi

Gitega, November 27, 2025 – A delegation recently toured several prisons in Burundi. Among the prisoners met were the coup plotters incarcerated at Gitega Central Prison, in the political capital. According to prisoners’ testimonies, the commission reviewed individual files and held extensive discussions with various categories of convicts, including those prosecuted for political reasons and for undermining the State security.

“They arrived late at night, files in hand. Each person was heard according to their case. They told us they wanted to review the files, even those already judged,” a prisoner contacted via messaging told SOS Médias Burundi, adding that the mission remained in the prison for several days.

Coup plotters, detainees linked to the Nshimirimana case, and the attempted assassination of Niyongabo are affected

In addition to the coup plotters sentenced to terms ranging from five years to life imprisonment, SOS Médias Burundi has confirmed that the commission also reviewed the files of detainees involved in two sensitive cases : the assassination of the former head of intelligence, General Adolphe Nshimirimana, killed in a rocket attack in Bujumbura in August 2015, and the attempted assassination, the following month, of the Army Chief, General Prime Niyongabo.

The delegation also reportedly requested the files of detainees considered political prisoners or accused of threatening the national security. Some are hoping for reduced sentences, or even releases.

“They told us they were looking at our files to decide what to do next,” reports another detainee.

Possible presidential pardons?

At the end of each year, the head of state can grant pardons or sentence reductions, either upon request or on his own initiative. Several observers believe that President Évariste Ndayishimiye could use this prerogative to send a signal of appeasement, in a context where national and international reports point to a restrictive political climate.

In Burundi, the prison crisis remains severe : prisons have a theoretical capacity of 4,294 places, but regularly host more than 12,000 inmates. Some facilities are overcrowded by more than 300%, leading to extreme overcrowding, disease, and heightened tensions.

A political or symbolic gesture?

While the country is criticized for its restrictions on civil liberties, human rights organizations regularly denounce “shady dealings” and a lack of transparency surrounding prison overcrowding measures. At the same time, the Burundian army is implicated in abuses against the Banyamulenge in eastern DRC—accusations that the Burundian National Defense Force (FDNB) categorically denies.

Burundi has deployed more than 10,000 soldiers to eastern Congo alongside the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and the pro-government armed group Wazalendo, in the context of a conflict with the M23, which now controls several strategic towns in North and South Kivu.

For many detainees interviewed, a presidential gesture could mark a turning point.

“We hope that this time something will change,” a political prisoner confided.