Burundi : a young man assaulted in Bubanza, a complaint difficult to file, and local tensions

SOS Médias Burundi

Bubanza, May 9, 2026 — A reported assault in the district of Bubanza has reignited concerns about access to justice and the processing of complaints in some areas of western Burundi, where the victim claims to have encountered difficulties with the authorities after being violently attacked.

A young man from the center of Bubanza, in Bujumbura province in western Burundi, claims to have been violently assaulted on the night of May 7, 2026, by an Imbonerakure member who is also reportedly an advisor to the Bubanza zone chief.

According to witnesses and relatives of the victim, the incident occurred around 9:00 p.m. in a bar owned by a man named Télesphore, an advisor in charge of development for the Bubanza zone, located in the Kanabubu sub-village.

The victim, a painter by trade, was there having a drink when he was allegedly attacked. The alleged assailant accused him of having flirted with a female drinks vendor who worked at the bar.

Witnesses report that the young man was first slapped before being struck with a stick taken from his security guard. He reportedly received several blows to his arm, leg, and head before losing consciousness and bleeding profusely.

According to these sources, the assailant then left him at the scene. The victim was rescued by passersby and then taken to a health center where he received treatment overnight.

After the attack, the young man claims he tried to file a complaint with the police and the Bubanza police chief. However, according to his family, the local authorities refused to hear his case, stating that “the matter was beyond their jurisdiction.”

The victim then went to the Bubanza prosecutor’s office. A deputy prosecutor initially refused to see him before the prosecutor finally decided to take on the case. Local sources indicate, however, that some police officers are hesitant to summon the suspect, who also holds a position as a local councilor.

The young man’s family says they fear for his safety. They point out that he has been a victim of violence attributed to Imbonerakure in the past.

Residents of Kanabubu also claim that this is not an isolated incident and mention another attack that occurred approximately five months ago in the same area.

In this area, many young people say they now live in fear and denounce a climate of impunity.

The Imbonerakure are members of the youth wing of the CNDD-FDD, the ruling party in Burundi. They are regularly accused by residents, political leaders, and human rights organizations of committing abuses, often with complete impunity, and of acting as an auxiliary force for the security services. The Burundian authorities, for their part, present this youth wing as a community development and mobilization organization.