Rumonge : paramilitary training for schoolchildren under the auspices of the CNDD-FDD raises concerns

On Wednesday afternoon, February 26, nearly 200 schoolchildren took part in paramilitary training in Rumonge, southwest Burundi. The initiative, led by local officials of the ruling party, raised many questions among residents and observers.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

According to several witnesses, the concerned pupils come from the primary schools of Rukinga I, Rukinga II and Rukinga III. They were gathered at the Rumonge secondary school, a boarding school located in the provincial town center.

Witnesses report that the training took place in two stages : one part of the pupils was gathered in the main hall of the secondary school, following instructions to the rhythm of military songs, while the other practiced on the football field.

Supervision provided by a ruling party official

According to our sources, the training was led by Jérôme Nzohabonayo, director of the Rukinga II primary school and also local leader of the Imbonerakure, the CNDD-FDD youth league.

“The objective is to introduce pupils to the political ideology and paramilitary activities of the party,” he said.

Concerns about the politicization of education

This initiative raises serious concerns among parents and local observers.
“Instead of improving the quality of education and ensuring a promising future for our children, they are being taught the ideology of a political party. This is worrying,” denounced parents who spoke to SOS Médias Burundi.

Others wonder about the educational and social consequences of such training. “How can we accept that children receive political and paramilitary education under the supervision of school officials who are supposed to protect them from any manipulation?”, some observers said indignantly.

A phenomenon that is repeated

This is not the first time that such training has been organized in the region. A similar session had already taken place at the end of January 2025, still under the auspices of local school authorities.

Faced with these excesses, the Ministry of National Education remains silent – a lack of reaction that only fuels concerns about the future of the Burundian education system.

——-

A child from a family of CNDD-FDD activists (Igiswi c’Inkona) takes part in a military parade at the Cercle Hippique in Bujumbura on the sidelines of the celebration of the 8th edition of the day dedicated to the Imbonerakure, on August 31, 2024. The Imbonerakure were until then the only ones invited to the night patrols in Kiremba (SOS Médias Burundi)