Cibitoke : a father massacred with machetes, his 16-year-old son on the run

SOS Médias Burundi

Cibitoke, June 13, 2026 – A man was brutally killed with machetes Saturday morning in his home in the Munyika neighborhood, in the Rugombo zone of Cibitoke district, in Bujumbura province, western Burundi. The main suspect is his own 16-year-old son, who fled after the incident.

The victim, identified as Fabien Manirakiza, was found dead in his home in particularly violent circumstances. According to several local sources, the main suspect is Fidèle Yamuremye, his 16-year-old son. A pupil at the Rugombo District High School, he reportedly fled immediately after the incident.

According to witnesses, Fidèle Yamuremye disappeared shortly after the tragedy and remained missing Saturday evening. Security services launched a search to try to find him and shed light on the circumstances of this murder.

Around 11:00 a.m., the Rugombo zone chief, accompanied by other administrative officials and police officers, went to the scene to assess the situation and open an investigation.

As part of the investigation, the victim’s wife was taken into custody by the police for questioning. The authorities have not specified the reasons for the arrest or the suspect’s possible degree of involvement in the case.

Fabien Manirakiza’s body was transferred to the morgue at Cibitoke Hospital.

According to several concurring sources, family conflicts had existed within the household for some time. The victim regularly complained about the disappearance of money from his gold mining activities. Several residents mentioned recurring tensions related to the management of income from artisanal gold mining.

“He often lamented the money that disappeared after selling the gold. Arguments regularly broke out in the family,” reported a resident of the Munyika neighborhood, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The exact circumstances of the murder remain to be determined. Investigators will notably have to establish the motives for the crime and the potential responsibilities of various individuals involved.

The Cibitoke region is among the deadliest areas in the small East African nation. Since last year, it has been regularly cited among the localities where numerous bodies have been discovered in often murky circumstances. The province of Bujumbura, to which it belongs, is also among the three provinces most affected by deadly violence and gruesome discoveries, according to several civil society organizations.

In a statement released this week, the Catholic bishops of Burundi expressed their deep concern over the increasing number of body discoveries, assassinations, enforced disappearances, and other human rights violations. They called on the Burundian authorities to guarantee the safety of the population, to conduct independent and impartial investigations, and to effectively combat impunity so that the perpetrators of these crimes are identified and brought to justice.