Burundi : The Iteka League denounces a probable cover-up of the perpetrators of nearly 1,500 targeted assassinations in three years
In its damning new report, the Iteka Human Rights League is more severe. It speaks of notorious impunity and a cover-up to hide the crimes from President Évariste Ndayishimiye’s rule. INFO SOS Médias Burundi
Nearly 1,500 cases of targeted assassinations for political motives and zero perpetrators apprehended, the equation remains incomprehensible to the oldest human rights organization in Burundi, Iteka League.
Its latest report on the human rights and security situation in Burundi focuses mainly on the phenomenon of the bodies of people killed by unidentified people and buried quickly without the slightest investigation.
The burial, according to the Iteka League, is carried out under the orders of local administration officials, agents of the SNR (National Intelligence Service), the police and more often in collaboration with the Imbonerakure, members of the youth league from the ruling CDD-FDD party, since President Évariste Ndayishimiye led Burundi.
This report provides examples which would tend to indicate that this widespread practice of burying found dead bodies is “a modus operandi considered and implemented by agents of power”. Non-isolated examples of administrative and security agents including those of the SNR and the police who implement the plan are also given in this report.
According to the Iteka League, since President Ndayishimiye came to power in June 2020, many people have lost their lives in different ways and in most cases, the government has not demonstrated its willingness to face these crimes. In certain non-isolated cases, state agents are involved.
“In most cases, it is very difficult to know whether or not there is a hidden hand of power, but the government is not fulfilling its responsibility to act on and prevent these repetitive and widespread crimes.” , declares Anschaire Nikoyagize, president of the Iteka League.
Furthermore, without claiming to be exhaustive, he recalls, Gitega’s rule has pulled out all the stops to “lock down space and hide the crimes that are being committed.”
The Iteka League was able to document 2,291 people killed including 247 assassinations attributed to agents of power, 1,188 people eliminated by unidentified people, the majority of whom were buried under the orders of state agents without the slightest investigation, 176 dead in armed attacks notably.
According to activist Anschaire Nikoyagize, “these lifeless bodies of people killed by unidentified people seem not to worry the rule of Gitega which nevertheless has all the material, human, financial means, the police, the justice system,… to carry out these investigations.”
As illustrated by the said document, the provinces of Gitega (center) and Cibitoke (northwest) were the deadliest with 398 and 278 cases respectively.
“For the Cibitoke province, the Iteka League had always warned that it risks being considered a cemetery for dead bodies given the high number of bodies found in this province. Most of the victims were found around the river Rusizi, particularly on the riverside part of Buganda district, sometimes tied up in twos or more,” says Anschaire Nikoyagize.
“In this district, most of the bodies found were buried hastily on the order of the district administrator, Pamphile Hakizimana, often in collaboration with the police and members of the Imbonerakure militia,” exclaims the activist.
The big question that the investigators of the Iteka League are asking, but which remains unanswered is : “who gave the order to the local administration, to the security agents including those of the police, the SNR, the army and generally with the youth of the ruling party to mobilize and proceed with the immediate burial of any dead body, without investigations?”
“We want the government to prove to us the opposite that its services are not behind these crimes, by carrying out even a single investigation which results in a deserved sentence,” suggests Anschaire Nikoyagize.
Rumours and manipulations…
The ruling party, CNDD-FDD, speaks of manipulation of opinion. Révérien Ndikuriyo, its secretary general, returned to this in a press conference he hosted in the province of Ngozi (north) a few days ago.
“There are people who enjoy spreading rumors, false information and baseless manipulations. They are not happy with the development of the country, are not satisfied with the fact that three years can go without any assassination. They only sell corpses in front of their donors,” accused Révérien Ndikuriyo. He was speaking about such reports from human rights groups and information from exiled media.
Concerned about politically motivated assassinations, the former Hutu rebel washes his hands of them.
“The causes of the killings are multiple other than political : social vengeance, domestic violence, settling of scores, family conflicts, … and even members of the CNDD-FDD party are also victims. So, the country is experiencing a lot of problems, which is why we ask you that if someone disappears, make alerts as soon as possible,” he simply explained.
Catholic bishops describe this unhealthy political climate as “the law of the jungle where the strongest crush the weakest.”
In their latest statement, they asked the Burundian president to stand as a defender of freedom of expression, the fight against impunity and political intolerance in the run-up to the legislative and presidential elections of 2025 and 2027.
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