Burundi : 3,157 dead, 283 missing, 3,349 arrested… Iteka League accuses the Ndayishimiye regime of perpetuating repression

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, September 17, 2026— 3,157 people killed, 283 abducted or missing, 348 cases of torture, and 3,349 arrests deemed arbitrary. In a report covering President Évariste Ndayishimiye’s six years in power, the Iteka League documented 7,967 allegations of human rights violations between July 2020 and June 2026. Burundian authorities have regularly disputed the organization’s reports, accusing it of seeking to tarnish the image of Burundi and its leaders. They, for their part, highlight what they consider to be progress made in terms of stability, development, and improved living conditions for the population.

The 46-page report reviews the human rights situation since Évariste Ndayishimiye came to power in June 2020. It examines violations of the right to life, abductions and disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests, gender-based violence, as well as civil liberties, justice, prison conditions, and economic and social rights.

3,157 people killed

According to data compiled by the Iteka League, 3,157 people were killed between July 2020 and June 2026. Among them, 1,739 bodies were found in various circumstances.

The organization also records 283 people abducted or reported missing during the period studied. The report also documents 348 cases of torture and 830 victims of gender-based violence, more than 80% of which involved sexual violence.

The Iteka League clarifies that its statistics are based on the cases it was able to document. They therefore do not constitute an exhaustive census of all violations committed in Burundi during the six-year period covered, nor do they represent judicial verdicts.

Police officers, SNR agents, and Imbonerakure cited

In the documented cases, the Iteka League identifies police officers, agents of the National Intelligence Service (SNR), and members of the CNDD-FDD youth league, the Imbonerakure, as prime suspects.

The report thus implicates, depending on the case, members of security forces and members of the ruling party in arrests, abductions, torture, and other human rights violations.

These elements, documented by the organization, constitute allegations and do not prejudge the criminal liability of the individuals mentioned, which falls under the jurisdiction of the competent courts.

More than 3,300 arrests

The report cites 3,349 arrests that the Iteka League describes as arbitrary.

The organization also denounces restrictions on political and civic space and raises concerns about the independence of the judiciary and the persistence of impunity.

According to the League, members or supporters of opposition political parties, human rights defenders, journalists, and others perceived as critical of the government have continued to be subjected to surveillance, intimidation, arrest, or prosecution.

Largely overcrowded prisons

The prison situation is also among the concerns highlighted in the report.

In June 2026, Burundi had 12,216 prisoners, plus 71 infants, for a prison capacity of 4,294 places. The occupancy rate reached 284.49%.

Among those detained, 5,755 were in pretrial detention, according to data cited by the Iteka League.

For the organization, this situation illustrates the persistent difficulties of the Burundian judicial and penitentiary system.

Civil liberties under pressure

The Iteka League believes that Burundian institutions continue to operate within a political environment largely dominated by the CNDD-FDD, the ruling party.

The report focuses in particular on the 2025 elections and the situation of the political opposition. It also addresses the restrictions imposed on certain civil society organizations and the media.

The organization considers that the openings observed at the beginning of Évariste Ndayishimiye’s term have not led to a lasting transformation of the civic sphere.

An economic and social assessment

The report is not limited to civil and political rights.

The Iteka League also examines the economic and social conditions of the population. It highlights, in particular, the difficulties related to purchasing power, shortages of certain essential products, access to fertilizers, and the living conditions of rural populations.

It also addresses the difficulties in accessing healthcare, education, food, and social protection.

According to the organization, these difficulties contribute to maintaining the high economic vulnerability of many households and push some Burundians to seek opportunities abroad.

Six years after Ndayishimiye’s arrival

Évariste Ndayishimiye came to power in June 2020, following the unexpected death of his predecessor, Pierre Nkurunziza. His rise to power had raised expectations for improved governance, greater political openness, and better protection of human rights.

Six years later, the Iteka League believes that several practices denounced in previous years persist.

The organization compares the periods of Pierre Nkurunziza and Évariste Ndayishimiye, in particular, regarding issues of assassinations, abductions and disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests, impunity, and restrictions on civil liberties.

It notes certain differences in the exercise of power, while maintaining that the mechanisms behind numerous violations have not disappeared.

An organization working from exile

The Iteka League, a pioneer among human rights organizations in Burundi, has been working from exile since the 2015 crisis, triggered by the late President Pierre Nkurunziza’s decision to run for a controversial third term.

It is among the civil society organizations banned by the Burundian authorities. Gitega regularly denounces its reports and accuses them of seeking to tarnish the image of Burundi and its leaders.

The Iteka League, for its part, asserts that it continues its work documenting human rights violations in Burundi from abroad.

Its report on Évariste Ndayishimiye’s six years in power presents a documented assessment of the human rights situation, while also highlighting certain economic and institutional developments that have occurred since 2020.