Bwagiriza : new round-up of Banyamulenge refugees; fear grips the camp

SOS Médias Burundi

Bwagiriza, October 5, 2026 — The arrest of Alexis David Musore—a Congolese refugee from the Banyamulenge community who has lived for over fifteen years in the Bwagiriza camp (Ruyigi district, Buhumuza province, eastern Burundi)—has reignited anxiety among the refugees. Detained on Friday by individuals identified as Burundian intelligence agents, his whereabouts remain unknown; his relatives state they are unaware of where he is being held or the charges against him. According to several corroborating sources, his arrest brings the total number of Banyamulenge refugees arrested or abducted in Burundi in less than a month to eleven.

A relative who witnessed the arrest and requested anonymity stated that no warrant or other documentation was presented.

“They came on Friday. The intelligence agents arrived without offering any explanation. They showed no documents or warrants. They simply told him to get into their vehicle. They snatched the two phones he was carrying—the one he used for his mobile money transfer business and his personal phone. They hauled him away like a criminal,” he recounted.

“To this day, we do not know where he is. He left behind his family, his small business, and his church. He is a peaceful man who has lived here for 15 years. Everyone knows him,” he added. The exact circumstances of the detention, the reason for it, and Alexis David Musore’s place of detention remain unknown. SOS Médias Burundi has been unable to independently verify the conditions under which the arrest took place.

A well-known trader and pastor in the camp

Alexis David Musore conducted business activities within the camp, notably mobile money transfers via the Lumicash service. He was also a pastor with the Assemblies of God community in Burundi (CADEP).

His arrest comes amidst a wave of detentions targeting Congolese refugees—particularly members of the Banyamulenge community—in Burundi since the beginning of September.

In Bwagiriza, three other men from the same community have been arrested since early September, according to several corroborating sources. Their relatives report that they were subsequently released after paying large sums of money.

In Bujumbura, the commercial capital, seven other Banyamulenge refugees—including three pastors—have been held by the National Intelligence Service (SNR) for about a month in some cases. Their families state that they have received no precise information regarding the reasons for their detention or their whereabouts.

These successive arrests are fueling fear within the Banyamulenge community, particularly in Bwagiriza, where refugees are questioning the reasons behind these detentions.

The UNHCR and the National Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (ONPRA) have not publicly responded to these arrests.

Over 8,000 refugees in Bwagiriza

The Bwagiriza camp hosts more than 8,000 Congolese refugees, according to local sources. A key aspect of the situation involves the Banyamulenge community.

The conflict in eastern DRC as a backdrop

These arrests are taking place against a regional backdrop of war in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and tensions between Burundi and Rwanda.

Burundi deployed more than 29,000 soldiers to eastern DRC between August 2022 and December 2025, according to an internal report from the Congolese Ministry of the Interior and Security consulted by SOS Médias Burundi last year. These soldiers fought alongside the FARDC (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and the Kinshasa-backed Wazalendo militias against the AFC-M23 (Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo – M23).

Following the withdrawal of Burundian forces from North Kivu, Burundian soldiers primarily retreated to South Kivu, where they engaged alongside the FARDC and the Wazalendo in operations against various armed groups. The fighting notably took place in the highlands of Fizi and Mwenga, where Kinshasa-backed forces clashed with fighters from Twirwaneho.

Kinshasa accuses the AFC-M23 of receiving support from Rwanda, an accusation Kigali denies. Reports from the UN Group of Experts have indicated Rwandan support for the movement.

The AFC is led by Corneille Nangaa, former president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) of the DRC. The organization, along with the M23, forms a political-military alliance active in the east of the country.

The Twirwaneho group, composed mainly of fighters from the Banyamulenge community, is an ally of the AFC-M23 in South Kivu. Clashes between its fighters and forces supported by Kinshasa, including the FARDC, the Burundi National Defense Force (FDNB), and the Wazalendo, continue in several areas of the highlands.

In this context, the links between Twirwaneho and the AFC-M23, as well as the movement of some members of the Banyamulenge community to Rwanda, are fueling security concerns in Burundi. No direct link between these regional considerations and the arrest of Alexis David Musore has been officially established.

A worried community

A community leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, says that the Banyamulenge are now living in fear due to the increasing number of arrests.

He is calling for individual investigations and for families to be informed of their loved ones’ whereabouts. According to him, Banyamulenge refugees want the same protection as other refugees living in Burundi and do not want to be associated with another country or a political issue because of their community affiliation.

For Alexis David Musore’s family, the priority is now to know where he is being held and the reasons for his arrest.

They are asking the Burundian authorities to provide information about his situation and that of the other arrested refugees, as the increasing number of arrests is fueling anxiety in the Bwagiriza camp and within the Banyamulenge community in Burundi.