Burundi : nationals of the 21 COMESA countries exempted from short-stay visa

The announcement was made in Bujumbura, the commercial city of Burundi on October 31 by Burundian President, Évariste Ndayishimiye. It was during the 23rd summit of heads of state and government of COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa). INFO SOS Médias Burundi

The summit which brought together various authorities and officials, took place in the commercial capital Bujumbura on October 31, 2024. It was announced during this meeting that the Burundian president will assume the rotating chairmanship of COMESA for a period of one year, replacing the president of Zambia.

“In order to facilitate free movement of goods and people within COMESA, from today, Burundi will exempt the short-stay visa for all nationals of member countries,” said the Burundian president.
He also invited his counterparts to prioritize regional trade relations to avoid being favored by more powerful economies.

During these discussions, the presidents who took part in the summit recommended the establishment of dialogue committees to “establish lasting peace in COMESA countries threatened by civil wars such as Somalia, Sudan and the DRC”.

President Évariste Ndayishimiye will head COMESA for a period of one year. This summit saw the participation of five other heads of state. These are the presidents of Kenya, Madagascar, Zambia, Ethiopia and the DRC, Democratic Republic of Congo.

In principle, residents of COMESA member countries receive visas upon arrival when they travel to one of the countries in the bloc. But in most cases, it depends on the mood of immigration officials rather than the legal texts in most countries. In recent times, many Burundians have been arrested, detained or turned back while traveling to or staying in a COMESA country, especially in the southern part.

Activists have always advocated for the removal of visas for residents of African countries traveling within the continent, which country managers do not want to implement.