Burundi : audiovisual producer Papy Jamaica detained by intelligence services

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, October 14, 2026 — The arrest of Papy Jamaica within the grounds of the Burundian National Assembly has raised serious questions. Allegations of insults, suspicions of violence, and official silence : the circumstances surrounding this detention remain unclear. According to a source close to the matter, the Speaker of the Assembly allegedly ordered that he be severely beaten—allegations that SOS Médias Burundi has been unable to independently verify. To date, no official statement has shed light on the reasons for his detention or his current status.

Amani Papy Ndikumana—known as Papy Jamaica and the CEO of Papy Jamaica Video Productions, a company based in Bujumbura (Burundi’s commercial capital)—has been held by the National Intelligence Service (SNR) since Tuesday, according to information gathered by SOS Médias Burundi.

Sources close to the case indicate that he was detained in the premises of the National Assembly, located in northern Bujumbura in the area commonly known as the “Kigobe hemicycle.” The exact circumstances of his arrest remain unclear.

Witnesses claim he was accused by Aimée Nshimirimana, the head of communications, of insulting the Speaker of the National Assembly, Gélase Daniel Ndabirabe. SOS Médias Burundi has not been able to verify these accusations.

“The Speaker of the National Assembly ordered that he be given a severe thrashing,” stated a source close to the case, implying that the audiovisual producer had been subjected to violence. However, SOS Médias Burundi has been unable to independently confirm these allegations.

The National Assembly has a hall that private individuals can rent to host events, such as live broadcasts. However, it has not been established that Papy Jamaica was in the premises for this purpose. Other sources also point to a family dispute that might be linked to the arrest, though this theory remains unconfirmed.

As of the publication of this article, no official statement had been issued regarding the reasons for his arrest, any mistreatment he may have endured, or his place of detention.

In February 2026, Papy Jamaica had previously been arrested alongside one of his assistants and a photographer—who works for Agence France-Presse (AFP), among others—while covering a visit by Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management. The three men were detained within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs complex and subsequently held for several hours in the cells of the National Intelligence Service (SNR) in Bujumbura, Burundi’s commercial capital, before being released that evening. Their phones were confiscated and searched.