Photo of the week – Burundi : Enabel country director ordered to leave the country after sharing a cartoon on LinkedIn

David Leyssens, country director of the Belgian Development Agency (Enabel) in Burundi, was ordered to leave the Burundian territory last Saturday by the authorities. According to several concordant sources within the agency and the Belgian Embassy, ​​this decision follows a LinkedIn post in which he shared a cartoon illustrating an analytical article on the chronic fuel shortage in Burundi.

The cartoon accompanied an article in The Continent newspaper discussing a crisis that has lasted nearly five years. Sharing it on a personal account was perceived by the authorities of Gitega as an attack on the national sovereignty, leading to his immediate expulsion.

“He has to leave this Saturday. His expulsion is linked to the publication of this cartoon,” confirmed an Enabel employee.

The Belgian embassy in Bujumbura simply stated that it had “taken note” of the decision, without further comment. The Burundian authorities had still not officially responded as of Monday.

A key development partner

The expulsion comes at a time when Enabel plays a central role in bilateral cooperation between Belgium and Burundi. The agency is implementing a significant portion of the €75 million committed by Brussels between 2024 and 2028.

Nearly €40 million has already been allocated to projects in the following areas :

Governance and citizen participation : €4.9 million

Sustainable food systems : €15.8 million

Professional integration in a green economy : €11 million

Study and expertise fund : €4.5 million

Local multisectoral office : €3.4 million

These projects are part of the National Development Plan 2018–2027 and the 2040–2060 Vision, which aims to make Burundi an emerging country by 2040 and developed by 2060.

A recurring climate of mistrust

This is not a first. In 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government expelled the WHO representative, Walter Kazadi Mulombo, along with three other experts.

This new measure comes at a time when the European Union and Burundi were attempting to mend relations after years of tension linked to the 2015 political crisis.

A persistent crisis, a sensitive context

Burundi has been experiencing a fuel shortage for 57 months, with major consequences for mobility, the economy, and living conditions.

In this context, the simple sharing of a visual deemed sensitive, even on a professional network, was enough to provoke an expulsion—a sign of the authorities’ heightened sensitivity to any public criticism.

What future for cooperation?

The expulsion of David Leyssens could call into question the continuity of ongoing projects and Belgium’s commitment to implementing the presidential vision 2040–2060, in which Enabel is a key player.

Our photo : David Leyssens, Enabel country director in Burundi, was expelled for sharing a cartoon on LinkedIn denouncing the fuel shortage that has been plaguing the country for nearly five years – a decision that undermines the Belgian cooperation in the country (DR)