Burunga : repeated lifeless bodies, questions pile up

SOS Médias Burundi

Makamba, September 28, 2026—An unidentified man was found dead in Rutenderi on Saturday, September 26, an adolescent was discovered in Muyovozi the night before and a body was found in Malagarazi at the beginning of the month : the discoveries of lifeless bodies are multiplying in several localities of Burunga, in the southeast of Burundi. Some victims remain unidentified and, in several cases, the circumstances of the deaths remain to be established.

A man found lifeless in Rutenderi

A man described by residents as being well-dressed was found dead on Saturday, September 26, in Rutenderi village, in the Gatabo zone, Makamba district, near the bridge that separates the Gihofi and Gatabo zones.

The identity of the victim was not known at the time of discovery. His body was transported and deposited at the Rutana hospital morgue.

The information collected locally evokes the hypothesis that the man could have been killed elsewhere before his body was abandoned at this location. This hypothesis however remains to be established by a survey.

An adolescent found in Muyovozi

The day before, Friday, September 25, the body of Schama Ndikumana, aged 17 years old, was found in the waters of the Muyovozi river, between the villages of Buyaga, in Giharo district, and Gihofi, in Rutana district.

The circumstances of his death remain to be established.

A corpse discovered in Malagarazi

On September 6, another lifeless body was discovered in the river Malagarazi, in the district of Rutana.

The victim was not identified. The circumstances of his death and the conditions in which his body was found in the river remain unknown.

A succession of disturbing discoveries

From Rutenderi to Muyovozi river, passing through Malagarazi, several lifeless bodies have been found in different localities of Burunga during the last few weeks.

These affairs do not permit, on their own, to affirm that they are related to each other. But their repetition feeds the residents’ concerns, especially when the identity of the victims and the circumstances of their death remain unknown.

For the families, the expectations remain the same : identify the victims, determine the causes and circumstances of their death and, when criminal acts are established, identify and prosecute those responsible.

In Makamba as in Rutana, each new corpse found without life leaves behind him the same questions : who is the victim? What really happened? And how many families are still waiting for answers?

Concerns that go beyond Burunga

The discoveries of dead bodies are not limited to the districts of Makamba and Rutana. In recent months, similar cases have been reported in different localities of the small East African nation, fueling concerns about the safety of people and the elucidation of suspicious deaths.

The Catholic Church, Burundian organizations for the defense of human rights, notably Iteka League, FOCODE and ACAT-Burundi, as well as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi regularly denounce violations of the right to life, enforced disappearances and impunity surrounding certain human rights violations.

These actors call on the Burundian authorities to conduct independent and credible investigations, to identify the victims, to establish the circumstances of their deaths and to prosecute those responsible when offenses are established.

Last June, the denunciations of the Catholic bishops had provoked a strong reaction from the president Évariste Ndayishimiye. The Head of State had accused them of “politicizing poverty” and “hooting the State”, accusing them of limiting themselves to criticizing the authorities rather than contributing concretely to development.