Rutana : a vast child trafficking network to Tanzania dismantled

SOS Médias Burundi

Rutana (Burunga), July 24, 2025 – A human trafficking operation involving some fifty children was thwarted Monday in the south of the country. The minors, crammed into a Hiace minibus, were intercepted en route to Tanzania from Karusi district, in Gitega province (central Burundi). Five people, including three drivers, were arrested.

According to local sources, the interception took place in Kinzanza village, in Rutana district, now part of Burunga province. The vehicle transporting the children was preparing to cross the border into the United Republic of Tanzania without any valid identity documents.

“This is an act of betrayal against the children of this country,” denounced Burunga Governor Parfait Mboninyibuka, on the sidelines of a security meeting he was chairing when the events were reported. He gave firm instructions that the perpetrators be brought to justice, while ordering law enforcement to “dismantle all human trafficking networks.”

The public prosecutor in Burunga province confirmed that the children were mainly from the district of Karusi. An investigation was immediately opened to identify the masterminds of this operation, which the authorities suspect was the work of a well-structured network.

One of the arrested drivers had already been suspended in the past for similar offenses. The suspects are expected to be prosecuted for human trafficking, a crime heavily punishable under the Burundian law.

The intercepted children were entrusted to social services for their care and return to their families.

Children’s rights NGOs are sounding the alarm : they are calling for increased vigilance at borders and increased awareness among rural communities, which are particularly vulnerable to these forms of exploitation.