Rutana : political harassment in Giharo, CNL and UPRONA activists in turmoil

SOS Médias Burundi

Rutana, June 27, 2025 – In the district of Giharo, Rutana province (southeast Burundi), activists from the opposition parties CNL and UPRONA are facing repeated acts of political harassment. Local officials and several residents accuse CNDD-FDD officials of targeting opponents through threats and social exclusion. The victims and their parties are urgently appealing to the authorities to guarantee political freedom in the region.

In Giharo village, Joselyne Niyongabire, a UPRONA activist, is facing constant threats. According to a local leader of her party, supported by several neighbors, she is being harassed by Salvator, chief of the Nyarubange sub-village, who accuses her of being the only UPRONA member in that locality.

Other CNDD-FDD officials are also being singled out : Alexis Baraguma, representative of the ruling party in the Giharo zone, Emmanuel Ntahondonkeye, and Désiré Bigirimana, zone chief. According to local sources, they are acting under the supervision of Sylvain Nzikoruriho, secretary of the CNDD-FDD in Burunga province and originally from Giharo district, and Rénovat Hakizimana, secretary of the CNDD-FDD in the new district of Musongati.

Harassment and expulsion of a CNL activist

In Murembera village, the CNL denounces similar acts. Steve Kabura, a party activist, is reportedly the victim of persecution orchestrated by Daniel Bunguzayandi, the CNDD-FDD leader in the village. The cause is his refusal to join the CNDD-FDD.

According to several residents, the reprisals against him are severe. He has been deprived of his right to move around the village and has been excluded from all community associations, including funeral solidarity groups.

Call for the protection of political freedoms

The two opposition parties, UPRONA and the CNL, are calling for rapid intervention by the authorities to end these practices, which they describe as discriminatory and contrary to the principles of political freedom. They are calling for all citizens to be able to campaign freely, without intimidation or reprisals, in the district of Giharo.