Burunga : the opposition is gagged, the CENI looks the other way

SOS Médias Burundi

Burunga, May 26, 2025 – The electoral campaign in the new province of Burunga (southeastern Burundi) is turning into an unbalanced confrontation between the government and the opposition. Arrests, violence, administrative restrictions, and logistical inequalities : several parties are denouncing targeted repression, while the Provincial Electoral Commission is speaking of “poor organization.”

The Council of Patriots (CDP), the UPRONA, the Burundi Bwa Bose coalition, and even former Vice-President Gaston Sindimwo have paid the price.

Repression and harassment

Ferdinand Nkurunziza, spokesperson for the CDP, openly accuses the CNDD-FDD of using state logistical resources, while opposition parties lack fuel and vehicles to travel.

According to him, cases of violence and intimidation are increasing :

In Rutana, Égide Hakizimana, provincial leader of the CDP, was arrested on May 19. He remains detained in the district police station cell without official justification.

In Gitanga, Léonard Nahabandi, a mobilizer for the same party, was forced by the Kinzanza zone chief to sign a pledge to cease all political activity.

In Rweza, on the outskirts of Bujumbura (the commercial capital), four CDP activists were violently attacked by Imbonerakure, including one identified as Guillaume. One of the injured is hospitalized in critical condition. The Imbonerakure are members of the youth league of the CNDD-FDD, the ruling party. They are regularly cited in cases of repression against opponents or perceived opponents.

Widespread obstacles

The Burundi Bwa Bose coalition has not been spared. Several of its members have been prevented from holding meetings or arrested in Rutana, Makamba, Rumonge, and Gitanga. In Kibago, a rally was banned. In Nyanza-Lac, activists have been injured or arrested.

Even high-ranking political figures have been targeted. On May 25, Gaston Sindimwo, former Vice-President and campaign leader of the CDP, was blocked in Musongati by the district tax collector, on the orders of the administrator. He was on his way to a political event in the Mpinga-Kayove district. No legal justification has been provided.

A tense climate, an unconvincing CENI

Olivier Nkurunziza, national leader of UPRONA, denounces the systematic harassment of opposition parties, observed from the very beginning of the campaign in Burunga.

Contacted, the Independent Provincial Electoral Commission (CEPI), through Philemon Nahabandi, downplayed the situation : “The CENI excludes no one. Those who prepare well conduct their campaign without obstacles.”

But on the ground, testimonies converge : the campaign in Burunga province is far from fair or secure. Opponents and observers are calling for urgent intervention by national institutions to guarantee a minimum level of democracy before the upcoming elections.

——-

A man in a polling station set up by the CENI in Burundi (SOS Médias Burundi)