The CNDD-FDD on the campaign trail : when the state puts itself at the party’s service

SOS Médias Burundi

Makamba, May 18, 2025 – Daily life slowed to a crawl on Saturday in the provinces of Makamba and Rutana, located in the southeast of the country, as the ruling party’s election campaign was in full swing in the new province of Burunga. Residents denounced forced mobilization, major disruptions, and the controversial use of state resources.

The town center of Makamba district awoke to an unusual atmosphere. The central market, the city’s economic heart, remained closed until 1 p.m. Frustrated traders, distraught customers : the day was marked by chaos. “We were standing in front of the closed doors without explanation,” lamented a tomato seller. Under the scorching sun, vegetables and amaranth leaves (Irengarenga) wilted before they could even find a buyer.

This sudden closure is not an isolated case. Similar situations have been reported in several localities across the country, notably in the political capital Gitega, as well as in the southwest and northwest provinces. Markets were expressly closed, according to witnesses, to force residents to attend rallies of the CNDD-FDD, the former Hutu rebel group that came to power in 2005 thanks to the Arusha Peace Agreement signed in August 2000.

In Makamba, several witnesses report that the Imbonerakure, the ruling party’s youth wing, patrolled around the market and along the RN11 road leading to the private stadium of CNDD-FDD Secretary General Révérien Ndikuriyo, located eight kilometers from the city center.

A sleepless night, a morning of constraints

From 2 a.m. onward, buses packed with activists from other provinces filled the roads of Makamba and Rutana. The din of the late-night arrivals deprived many residents of sleep. At daybreak, pupils from the main town were ordered to reach the stadium before dawn to fill the ranks for the rally. “My child didn’t eat lunch, but he was supposed to be there by 5 a.m.,” confided a mother.

Yet, the official tone was intended to be reassuring. The CNDD-FDD Secretary General had recently promised that the campaign would not disrupt citizens’ daily lives. A promise quickly contradicted by the reality on the ground.

Public resources in the campaign

Another point of contention : the widespread use of state vehicles. Several of these, used to transport activists, bore CNDD-FDD logos, sometimes plastered directly on the official license plates. A practice that raises questions about the increasingly blurred line between public resources and partisan actions.

The mobilization culminated with the arrival in the afternoon of the President of the Republic, Évariste Ndayishimiye, who came to lend a hand to his party’s campaign. His presence demonstrates the strategic importance that the CNDD-FDD places on the new province of Burunga, a merger of the former provinces of Makamba and Rutana, among others.

A show of force, but at what cost? wondered several residents, denouncing a campaign waged to the detriment of their peace, their economy, and their fundamental rights.

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A gathering of CNDD-FDD activists as part of the electoral campaign for the legislative and district elections of June 5, 2025, photo credit : CNDD-FDD