Burundi : “Five years of promises, five years of hardship” – In Bujumbura, city dwellers paint a grim picture of the Ndayishimiye regime

SOS Mëdias Burundi

Bujumbura, June 19, 2025

Five years after his arrival at the helm of Burundi, President Évariste Ndayishimiye finds himself facing a disillusioned population. In Bujumbura – the commercial capital – many residents denounce a governance system marked by chronic shortages, rampant inflation, persistent poverty, and broken promises. While the government celebrates a five-year term of “reforms,” ​​city dwellers speak of survival.

At his inauguration in June 2020, General Ndayishimiye delivered a message of hope : “May every mouth have enough to eat and every pocket have money.” Today, this slogan is perceived as a mockery by many city dwellers struggling to make ends meet.

“We’re always waiting for our pockets to fill up. We don’t feed our families with slogans,” bitterly says a merchant at the central market.
His colleagues describe the slogan as “hollow-sounding.”

Fuel Crisis : a shortage that has become structural

For more than four years, the country has been experiencing a serious energy crisis. Long lines at petrol stations have become routine in Bujumbura and elsewhere.

“How can we talk about development in a country where you have to queue all day for a liter of gasoline?” exclaims an indignant resident of the city center.

Despite repeated commitments from the government, the crisis persists and is affecting the entire national economy.

Poverty and soaring prices : an unbearable daily life

According to the World Bank, more than 70% of the Burundian population lived below the poverty line in 2023. Worse still, nearly 49% of Burundians suffer from chronic food insecurity, according to the World Food Program (WFP).

In urban areas, the situation is hardly better. Data from the Burundi Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (ISTEEBU) indicate that the extreme poverty rate in Bujumbura exceeds 40%, a figure that has been increasing since 2020.

“It has become impossible to feed my family properly or pay my children’s school fees. Yet I work every day!” says a civil servant, his voice cracking.

Inflation in Burundi is a particularly worrying issue. The average annual rate reached 20.21% in 2024, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). And in April 2025, it climbed to 45.50%, marking a dramatic increase compared to previous months. This increase is mainly due to the soaring prices of basic necessities, fuel, and transportation, which are weighing heavily on households’ daily lives.

Degraded roads, broken promises

Another source of frustration : the state of the roads. Despite the president’s statements promising their rehabilitation, the infrastructure remains dilapidated.

“The president said the road problem would be solved. So far, nothing has been done. We’ve had enough of these words!” rants a motorcycle taxi rider from Kanyosha, south of the commercial city.

The gap between the State and the people

President Ndayishimiye continues to boast of people-centered governance and transparency. Yet, in Bujumbura’s working-class neighborhoods, the reality experienced by citizens seems far removed from official rhetoric. Many speak of a government that is withdrawn into itself, more concerned with its image than with the living conditions of the population.

“They congratulate themselves on television while we don’t know what to eat tomorrow,” says a street vendor from the Jabe neighborhood (central Burundi).

A presidency under pressure

At the dawn of the second half of his constitutional term, the president faces growing distrust. Economic indicators are in the red, and poverty is intensifying.

“Five years later, I see neither money in my pocket nor enough to feed my children. This country hasn’t changed. The milk and honey we were promised? A mirage,” says a resigned father.