Cibitoke : five Imbonerakure sentenced to one year in prison for illegal border crossing

SOS Médias Burundi

Cibitoke, February 6, 2026 – The First Instance Court of Cibitoke, in the province of Bujumbura in the west of Burundi, issued a highly anticipated verdict on the evening of Tuesday, February 3, in a case of cross-border trafficking involving members of the youth league of the ruling party. Five Imbonerakure members were sentenced to one year in prison for undermining the internal security of the state.

According to the judicial decision, the defendants were found guilty of having violated the laws governing the control and security of national borders. The tribunal established that they illegally crossed the Burundian border through unauthorized routes, notably crossing the Rusizi River, which separates Burundi from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The indictment states that the convicts also facilitated the clandestine passage of people to the DRC and engaged in smuggling activities. The items in question included goods, fuel and various commercial products transported outside the legal channels.

In the same case, seven other people prosecuted for similar facts were sentenced to a fine of 50,000 Burundi francs each. On the other hand, five defendants were acquitted, the court finding that the evidence against them was insufficient. All those concerned in this case are members of the CNDD-FDD youth league.

A ruing welcomed by the population

In the region of Cibitoke, this judicial decision was favorably received by a part of the local population, which sees it as a strong signal against impunity in an area regularly confronted with cross-border traffic. Many of the interviewed inhabitants call on the judicial authorities to pursue this path and to sanction all the perpetrators of infractions, without distinction related to political affiliation or social status.

On his part, the president of the Tribunal of Cibitoke, Sylvestre Mukeshimana, assured that justice would continue to apply to all without discrimination. He reaffirmed the determination of the jurisdiction to firmly sanction any person involved in acts that affect national security and the sovereignty of the country.

A league regularly questioned

The Imbonerakure are the youth league of the CNDD-FDD, the former Hutu rebellion in power in Burundi since 2005 following the Arusha agreement of August 2000. They are regularly cited in acts of abuse targeting political opponents or alleged opponents.

Often requested by the Burundian authorities, including President Évariste Ndayishimiye, the Imbonerakure accompany the army in some military operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They also participate in border security and night patrols in the urban areas and villages of the small east African nation.

However, human rights organizations denounce persistent impunity. The Iteka,l league, a pioneer of Burundian organizations for the defense of human rights and currently practicing from exile, affirms that the Imbonerakure continue to be involved in serious violations. According to its annual report published in January, the league would be involved in 110 cases out of more than 400 people killed in Burundi in 2025.

Burundian authorities and the leaders of the CNDD-FDD present, for their part, the Imbonerakure as a pillar of community development and national security. They regularly accuse their detractors of wanting to tarnish the country’s image.

As a reminder, the United Nations had classified the Imbonerakure as a militia and tool of repression of the CNDD-FDD regime in 2015, following the violence related to the third controversial term of the late president Pierre Nkurunziza.

An assumed support of the head of state

In August 2023, President Évariste Ndayishimiye had publicly put the Imbonerakure in the foreground during a national day dedicated to them, praising their role in the security of the country’s borders.

“Burundi is guarded because we have the Imbonerakure. Anyone who doesn’t believe it, let them violate our borders. They will be disillusioned”, he stated.

Speaking in Kirundi, the head of state was also happy with their involvement in the night rounds and had called for them to intensify, estimating that the criticism aimed at the league would be orchestrated by the West since the political crisis of 2015.