Makamba : terror sets in before the elections, one opponent mutilated, others hunted

SOS Médias Burundi

Makamba, May 4, 2025 – As the legislative and district elections approach, the political climate is deteriorating dangerously in Makamba province, southern Burundi. On the night of May 2-3, Jonas Niyomwungere, a Sahwanya-FRODEBU activist and member of the “Burundi bwa Bose” coalition, was violently attacked with a machete in Kabo village, Muyange zone, Nyanza-Lac district.

Witnesses identify the perpetrators of the attack as a group of Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the CNDD-FDD party, led by a certain Benjamin Niyoyankunze. The attack was allegedly triggered under the pretext of “disrespect” as the victim was returning home around 9 p.m. The opposition leader was seriously injured and taken to Nyanza-Lac hospital, where his condition remains critical.

This latest act of political violence adds to a series of intimidations targeting the opposition in the region. On April 20, two Sahwanya-FRODEBU activists, Nijimbere Habacuc and Niyongere Renovat, were arrested in the same district. Since then, several supporters have taken refuge in the villages of Ruvyagira and Buheka, fleeing militias who falsely accuse them of holding voter registration cards.

In Ruvyagira, two Imbonerakure figures are specifically cited by residents : Célestin, a part-time teacher, and Ruboneye, accused of coordinating a veritable hunt for opposition members.

Sahwanya-FRODEBU leaders denounce a campaign orchestrated by the government to stifle political plurality in the run-up to the elections. “They want to silence any dissenting voice through fear and violence,” says a party official.

A spiral of repression already well underway in Makamba

Since the beginning of the year, the small East African nation has been marked by repeated cases of targeted repression in Makamba province. In February, two CNL activists were beaten up in Kayogoro. In March, political meetings of the “Burundi bwa Bose” coalition were systematically banned in several districts.
The province, once considered a stronghold of the opposition, now appears to be under heavy surveillance by government-affiliated structures, fueling fear and severely restricting the political space. Faced with this situation, the “Burundi bwa Bose” coalition demands the immediate release of its detained activists, the protection of its members, and the opening of an independent investigation. It calls on the international community to redouble its vigilance in the face of what it describes as a “slide toward overt authoritarianism.”

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Jonas Niyomwungere, the opposition leader who was attacked by individuals suspected of being members of the CNDD-FDD youth league, the Imbonerakure