Burunga – “The right to vote confiscated” : strategies to manipulate and intimidate opponents in the run-up to Burundi’s elections

SOS Médias Burundi

Burunga, May 30, 2025 – As the election campaign is in full swing in the small east African nation, serious voting rights violations and acts of intimidation are openly targeting opposition supporters, particularly in the new province of Burunga, in southeastern Burundi.

Instructions to confiscate votes

In several villages of the province, disturbing instructions are being relayed at meetings of the CNDD-FDD, the ruling party. Activists are being encouraged to prevent certain citizens—including students, domestic workers, and housekeepers—from voting by forcing them to issue proxies for the CNDD-FDD.

“No student, no domestic worker, no housekeeper will vote. Have them sign proxies. On election day, we will all be behind our cell leader (inama nshingiro). If an opponent arrives, we’ll get rid of them before they vote, to identify those hiding among us as opposition activists,” declared a local official during an activist briefing.

These remarks sparked unease even within the ranks of the CNDD-FDD, with some activists worried about the undemocratic turn of the campaign.

Surveillance and infiltration of opposition rallies

At the same time, WhatsApp messages shared between administration officials and police officers—viewed by SOS Médias Burundi—reveal a strategy of systematic spying on opposition activities. Instructions were given to discreetly infiltrate rival political rallies:

“Don’t send a zone leader, they are known. “Send an unknown member to listen, take photos, record, and send us a detailed report,” says a message circulated in a closed communication group among local officials.

Palpable tension in Burunga

These intimidation practices are increasing in Burunga province, fueling a climate of fear among opposition supporters. Many fear for their safety, not only during the campaign, but also after the elections, similar to the persecution that followed the protests against the controversial term of the late President Pierre Nkurunziza in 2015, punctuated by disappearances and targeted arrests.

On Sunday, May 25, in Makamba, an activist from the CNDD-FDD youth league—the Imbonerakure—was expelled from a UPRONA rally in the Gisenyi zone after being caught recording the speakers’ speeches. Witnesses accused him of gathering information to sabotage or suppress opposition activities.

Call for increased vigilance

Opposition parties denounce a concerted strategy of vote confiscation and electoral terror. They call on national and international observers to closely monitor the 2025 Burundian electoral process to ensure its integrity and transparency.