Two lifeless bodies discovered in Gitega in one week : the population in turmoil

SOS Médias Burundi

Gitega, June 2, 2025 – In the space of a few days, two lifeless bodies have been discovered in Gitega province (central Burundi), plunging the population into deep concern. The latest case dates back to the morning of Sunday, June 1: the body of a man of about 30 years of age was found in a bush, not far from the Muslim cemetery in the Shatanya neighborhood, in the heart of Gitega.

According to a witness on the scene, the victim was not carrying any identification. The body, discovered in a worrying condition, was taken to the morgue of the regional hospital. The chief of the Shatanya neighborhood, Eugène Manirakiza, confirmed the crime and indicated that the police have opened an investigation to identify the victim and determine the exact cause of death.

Less than a week earlier, on May 26, another lifeless body, that of a man of about 40 years of age, was recovered from the Ruvyironza River, which separates Rweza village (Mungwa zone, Gitega district) from Nyabihanga district, in Mwaro province. Here too, no identification was found on the victim. Emmanuel Nkeshimana, chief of the Mungwa zone, had suggested drowning, without being able to confirm the actual circumstances of death. This body also lies in the morgue of the regional hospital.

These repeated discoveries fuel a climate of fear and suspicion. More and more voices are being raised to denounce the growing insecurity and what they describe as a worrying trend.

“Gitega is becoming a cemetery province,” confided a visibly shocked resident of the Shatanya neighborhood. “These kinds of gruesome discoveries are on the rise, and we rarely get answers.”

Local authorities are calling for calm, while ensuring that investigations are continuing to shed light on these cases. But the population is waiting for concrete results, fearing that official silence will once again bury the truth.