Burundi : after arrests in Matana, authorities raise the threat of armed infiltration

SOS Médias Burundi

Rumonge, October 9, 2026 — Fears of an armed infiltration are spreading in the port town of Rumonge, in Burunga province, southwestern Burundi. On Thursday, local administrative officials mentioned reports of a possible entry of armed men from Magara, in the neighboring province of Bujumbura. These reports have not been confirmed.

Reinforced night patrols

During a quarterly security meeting, authorities reported suspicious activity in Rutumo village. The town administrator, Augustin Minani, called on the police, military, administrative officials, and the public to collaborate in gathering reliable information.

He also requested increased night patrols to prevent any potential infiltration.

A local police official, for his part, accused the armed group RED-Tabara of being behind several of the difficulties facing Burundi, including fuel shortages. According to him, the group is exploiting this situation to give the population the impression that “the state is failing.” However, no evidence presented at the meeting established a link between these shortages and RED-Tabara.

Lake Tanganyika, which notably separates Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), constitutes another possible route into the Burundian territory. But there is no evidence to suggest that armed men have recently crossed it to reach Rumonge.

Matana, a worrying precedent

In 2020, the alleged presence of armed men from the DRC had already been reported in the Rumonge region. Arrests subsequently targeted young people, former members of the Burundian Armed Forces (ex-FAB), former gendarmes, and police officers in several locations across the country.

Witnesses interviewed at the time by SOS Médias Burundi denounced acts of torture against some detainees, as well as deaths in prison or in cells.

More recently, arrests were reported in the district of Matana, in Burunga province, amid suspicions of armed men passing through or infiltrating the area. The number of people arrested is unknown.

The spokesperson for the Burundi National Police (PNB), contacted about these arrests, declined to provide further details. He did, however, state that “the government cannot stand idly by.”

CNDD-FDD leaders display their resolve

Local warnings come as President Évariste Ndayishimiye and officials of the ruling National Council for the Defense of Democracy–Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD-FDD) are increasingly asserting their resolve against Burundian armed groups operating in eastern DRC.

On August 22, 2026, at a press conference in Makamba, the party’s secretary-general, Révérien Ndikuriyo, responded to reports circulating on social media about threats attributed to RED-Tabara and the National Liberation Forces (FNL), led by self-proclaimed General Aloys Nzabampema.

“Let them unite and come. The red line is crossing the Rusizi border,” he declared, while maintaining that Burundi had no reason to seek war.

The Rusizi River forms part of the border between Burundi and the DRC in the northwest of the country. In recent years, armed men have crossed it to carry out deadly attacks in the Bujumbura, Bubanza, and Cibitoke regions. These attacks have all been attributed to the RED-Tabara rebels, active in eastern DRC.

On August 29, during the tenth annual Imbonerakure Day at the Ingoma Stadium in Gitega, the political capital, Évariste Ndayishimiye announced that members of the CNDD-FDD youth league were becoming “commandos.”

“We want every Burundian citizen to be a soldier. What I promise to our friends and our enemies alike is that Burundi is well protected,” the head of state declared.

During the same ceremony, Révérien Ndikuriyo called on the Imbonerakure to remain vigilant, asserting that the country’s enemies had not disarmed.

The authorities describe the night patrols and community watch initiatives in which the Imbonerakure participate as a contribution to security. However, human rights organizations have denounced the alleged involvement of some members in acts of intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and violence.

Gitega and Kigali accuse each other

Burundi accuses Rwanda of supporting RED-Tabara. Burundian authorities identify Alexis Sinduhije, a former journalist and president of the opposition party Movement for Solidarity and Democracy (MSD), currently in exile in Belgium, as the group’s leader. Kigali rejects these accusations.

For its part, Rwanda accuses Burundian authorities of collaborating with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Rwandan Hutu armed group, some of whose members are accused of participating in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis. Gitega also rejects these allegations.

These tensions are part of the broader conflict in eastern DRC, where the Burundian army is fighting alongside the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) and the Wazalendo militias against the AFC/M23. This politico-military coalition controls territory in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu. Kinshasa accuses it of receiving support from Rwanda, which Kigali denies.

In Rumonge as in Matana, the alerts and arrests raise questions about the concrete evidence supporting the suspicions of infiltration and the precise motives behind the detentions.