Discovery of six decomposing bodies in Cibitoke : hasty burials without investigation worry residents

SOS Médias Burundi

Cibitoke, December 27, 2025 — Six lifeless bodies, discovered Saturday morning in fields located between two roads in the Cibitoke zone and district of Bujumbura province, western Burundi, were buried on the spot on the orders of local authorities, without any prior investigation. This decision is fueling anger and suspicion among the population.

The grim discovery was made early Saturday morning, December 27, when farmers were heading to their fields between the 12th avenue in Rusiga village and the 1st avenur in Murambi village, in the Cibitoke zone and district. The six bodies, in an advanced state of decomposition, emitted a strong odor and were surrounded by numerous insects, suggesting that the victims had been killed several days earlier.

According to local security sources, the victims included three people dressed in military uniforms of the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as three others in civilian clothing. Administrative and security authorities quickly arrived at the scene and ordered the immediate burial of the bodies in a mass grave dug near the fields, without any judicial or forensic investigation being opened.

Burials without investigation : the official version

Contacted by SOS Médias Burundi, the head of the Cibitoke zone confirmed that he had given the order to bury the bodies on site, citing their advanced state of decomposition and the health risks to the population. He also indicated that no identification had been possible, as no resident had reported the recent disappearance of a relative in the area.

Persistent suspicions and concerns among the population

This official version, however, does not convince some residents. Several locals report recurring nighttime movements of groups crossing the Rusizi River, some in military uniform, others in civilian clothes, sometimes armed, coming from Congolese localities in the Uvira territory, in the border province of South Kivu, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

“We often see people transporting large quantities of goods from Congo. We don’t know who they belong to. It’s possible they were killed because of what they were carrying,” confided a resident of the area, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Residents are demanding serious and independent investigations, recalling that on December 17, four other bodies wearing Congolese army uniforms were discovered in the same zone and district of Cibitoke, not far from the Rusizi River, which marks the border between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. No independent investigation has been conducted in this case, reinforcing the feeling of insecurity and impunity in this border region.

The population fears that their farmland will gradually be transformed into makeshift burial sites and is calling on the Burundian authorities to shed full light on these deaths in order to prevent further violence in this region already marked by recurring security tensions.