Gitega : two deaths in Mahonda and Kagoma amid suspicions of infanticide

SOS Médias Burundi

Gitega, April 24, 2026 — Two separate tragedies have been reported in the villages of Mahonda and Kagoma, in the district and province of Gitega, in central Burundi, reigniting concerns about the resurgence of violence in the region.

According to witnesses, the lifeless body of Liboire Barandagiye, 44 years old, was discovered hanging from an avocado tree with a rope on Wednesday, April 22, in Mahonda village. The information was confirmed by Protais Nteturuye, the chief of Mahonda village, who favors the theory of suicide.

This version is disputed by some residents of the village, who suspect a staged homicide. They believe the victim could have been killed elsewhere before being suspended to simulate a suicide. They are calling for independent investigations to establish the facts and identify those responsible.

Furthermore, another tragic event occurred on Thursday, April 23, in Kagoma village, also in the district and province of Gitega. The body of a newborn baby was discovered after being exhumed.

According to Hyancinthe Niyonkuru, the chief of Kagoma village, the alleged perpetrator is Jeannette Ndayikeza, a 24-year-old woman. She is said to have killed her child before burying it, after the presumed father refused to acknowledge the baby.

According to the same source, after the judicial police officer’s examination, the suspect was arrested and taken to the police station in Itaba, where she is held for questioning.

These two incidents occurred amid a resurgence of violence in Gitega province. According to the Iteka League, a human rights organization in exile since the 2015 crisis, the region is regularly among those most affected by homicides.

In its first-quarter 2026 report on the human rights situation in Burundi, the same organization ranked Gitega first with 37 recorded homicides in three months, followed by Bujumbura (in the west) with 30 cases.