Cibitoke : a body discovered on the banks of the Nyamagana River

SOS Médias Burundi

Cibitoke, February 14, 2026 — A grim discovery was made this Friday morning in Rusiga village, in the Cibitoke zone and district of Bujumbura province, western Burundi. The lifeless body of a man was found near the Nyamagana River.

According to witnesses, the victim had a deep head wound, suggesting he had been struck with a blunt object before being left there. The body was already in a state of decomposition, suggesting that he had died approximately two days prior.

According to the head of the Cibitoke zone, Louis Ndayishimiye, the man’s identity has not yet been established. It is possible that the body was carried by the waters of the Nyamagana River, although this hypothesis remains to be confirmed.

Local administrative authorities, accompanied by the Imbonerakure, members of the youth wing of the CNDD-FDD, the ruling party, went to the scene. The zone chief ordered the body to be transferred to the morgue at Cibitoke Hospital, pending identification by a family member.

A disturbing series of discoveries

Local residents say this is not the first time a body has been found in this area. According to them, this is the fourth such case in three months in Rusiga village.

Faced with this alarming situation, residents are demanding thorough investigations to identify the perpetrators of these crimes and restore security to the area.

Last year, Bujumbura province was ranked by the Iteka League, a pioneering human rights organization in the country now forced to work from exile, among the deadliest provinces in Burundi.