Bujumbura : mass arrests among the Banyamulenge, the circle widens around Pastor Jalos Nkunda Kilaya

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, September 17, 2026—Following the arrest of several religious leaders from the Banyamulenge community in Bujumbura, the circle of those detained has widened around Pastor Jalos Nkunda Kilaya. His wife, Jacqueline Nyiramasoso, as well as Merci, a young student and family member, were arrested during a search of their home by agents of the National Intelligence Service (SNR), according to information gathered by SOS Médias Burundi.

These new arrests come amid heightened regional tensions, marked in particular by the crisis between Burundi and Rwanda and the ongoing war in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Jacqueline’s phone wanted

Following the arrest of Jalos Nkunda Kilaya on September 8 at Melchior Ndadaye International Airport, intelligence agents went to his home to conduct a search, according to local sources. His arrest and those of several other members of the Banyamulenge community had already been reported by SOS Médias Burundi.

During this operation, the agents were specifically looking for the phone belonging to his wife, Jacqueline Nyiramasoso. They were initially given another device, but they determined it was not the one they were looking for.

Jacqueline Nyiramasoso and Merci were then taken to the intelligence headquarters, according to information gathered by SOS Médias Burundi.

According to information received by SOS Médias Burundi and revelations from Burundian activist Pacifique Nininahazwe, Burundian authorities decided to seize Jacqueline’s phone after being unable to unlock her husband’s.

Jalos Nkunda Kilaya’s phone, purchased in a European country, could not be unlocked by Burundian authorities, according to this information. The technical reasons for this inability are unknown.

These details, including the searches conducted on the phones, have not been publicly disclosed by the authorities.

Cells at the SNR headquarters

Sources close to the case indicate that those arrested are held in cells set up at the SNR headquarters, located near Regina Mundi Cathedral in downtown Bujumbura.

Pastor Gédéon Nzayitegaho, arrested a few days earlier, was also taken to these premises after his detention, as were the other religious leaders involved in this case.

Gédéon Nzayitegaho was arrested on September 10 at his Carmel church, located in the Mutakura neighborhood, north of Bujumbura. The precise circumstances and reasons for his arrest have not been officially released.

Pastor Mark Ntayoberwa, head of Cornerstone, and Murama Gatonzi are also among the Banyamulenge arrested in recent days. In Murama Gatonzi’s case, local reports suggest his immigration documents are considered irregular, though this has not been publicly confirmed by a judicial authority.

Jalos Nkunda Kilaya arrested at the airport

Jalos Nkunda Kilaya was arrested on September 8 at Melchior Ndadaye International Airport as he was about to board a flight to Rwanda, according to several sources in Bujumbura. Local sources had indicated that his arrest took place under the supervision of police Brigadier General Domitien Niyonkuru, head of domestic intelligence at the SNR.

After his arrest, he was taken to his home, where a search was conducted. Reports indicated he possessed a Rwandan passport, a detail that could not be independently verified.

Jalos Nkunda Kilaya is the head of the Evangelical Church in the Great Lakes Region (EEPGL), a religious community founded more than twenty years ago by Banyamulenge refugees in Burundi.

Cornerstone, a church also established in Goma

Mark Ntayoberwa’s case also unfolds in a particularly sensitive regional context. The Cornerstone church, which he leads in Burundi, also has a presence in Goma, the capital of North Kivu and the main city in eastern DRC.

Goma fell under the control of the AFC-M23 in January 2015. The movement then seized Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, in February of the same year. The United Nations has documented these takeovers and the establishment of parallel administrations by the AFC-M23 in the conquered territories.

According to local sources, Cornerstone’s presence in Goma is among the elements being examined in Mark Ntayoberwa’s case. However, the precise reasons for his arrest and any charges against him have not been made public.

Suspicions of spying for Rwanda

Burundian authorities have not publicly detailed the reasons for the arrests of Jacqueline Nyiramasoso and Merci, nor explained the precise reasons for the search carried out at Jalos Nkunda Kilaya’s home.

SOS Médias Burundi has received information indicating that Burundian intelligence services suspect Pastor Jalos Nkunda Kilaya of collaborating with Rwanda. Some sources even go so far as describing him as a “double agent.” These accusations have not been publicly confirmed by the authorities and do not constitute a legal conviction.

Local and foreign observers fear that regional tensions and suspicions linked to Rwanda could lead to the conflation of Banyamulenge with armed groups active in eastern DRC.

The Banyamulenge at the heart of regional tensions

The Banyamulenge are a Tutsi community historically established in the highlands of South Kivu. Their situation has become particularly precarious with the evolution of the conflict in eastern DRC.

The armed group Twirwaneho, primarily composed of Banyamulenge, is associated with the AFC-M23 in the conflict. Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting the AFC-M23, an accusation Kigali denies.

Burundi, for its part, has deployed troops in the DRC alongside the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and the Wazalendo militias, which are supported by Kinshasa.

The United Nations has described the AFC-M23’s advance toward Goma and Bukavu by 2025 and has reported the involvement of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) alongside the movement, while Kigali rejects these accusations.

A community fearing conflation

In Burundi, the recent arrests have reignited concerns within the Banyamulenge community. They come in a region where military and political tensions have already caused massive population displacements and raised fears of the conflict spreading regionally.

The community also remembers the Gatumba massacre in August 2004, in which 166 Congolese refugees, including 154 Banyamulenge and 12 Babembe, were killed.

On Thursday afternoon, a pastor told SOS Médias Burundi : “The atmosphere is very tense; you understand that people are afraid.” “

The families of those arrested are demanding information about their places of detention, the reasons for their arrests, and any charges that may be brought against them.

At this stage, no detailed official statement has been released concerning Jacqueline Nyiramasoso and Merci, nor regarding the precise reasons for the search conducted at Jalos Nkunda Kilaya’s home. The authorities have also not publicly explained the reasons for all the arrests of Banyamulenge religious leaders recorded in recent days.