Two weeks without power : Kirundo and Busoni on the brink of social and economic crisis

SOS Médias Burundi

Kirundo, October 9, 2025 – For nearly two weeks, the districts of Kirundo and Busoni, located in Butanyerera province in northern Burundi, have been experiencing prolonged power outages that are paralyzing schools, hospitals, and economic activities. Residents are facing considerable losses, growing insecurity in unlit neighborhoods, and fragile infrastructure damaged by torrential rains. The population is demanding an urgent and lasting solution.

In boarding schools, pupils are forced to go to bed at nightfall due to a lack of light to revise or study. Hospitals and health centers are operating at a reduced capacity : some critical services, such as operating rooms, neonatology, and the morgue, rely on generators powered by scarce and expensive fuel, amid widespread shortages.

“Revision sessions have been suspended, and our pupils can no longer study in the evenings,” laments a school official.

Economic activities paralyzed

Banks and small businesses are also affected. Frequent internet outages complicate financial services, while perishable goods, such as dairy products, become unsaleable. Welders and craftspeople struggle to meet deadlines, compromising their professional credibility.

“We’re losing a lot, our machines are down, and we have no solutions,” confides a local welder. The cost of fuel to power generators has skyrocketed : a 20-liter container, once sold for 80,000 BIF, now sells for over 250,000 BIF on the black market.

Insecurity in unlit neighborhoods

The lack of street lighting has fueled a surge in insecurity. In the urban center of Kirundo, particularly in the Bushaza neighborhood, more than five households were victims of burglaries in a single week.Residents are denouncing the situation and demanding greater protection.

“At night, we are afraid to go out; the insecurity is becoming unbearable,” explains a resident.

Fragile infrastructure and REGIDESO’s responsibility

According to sources close to REGIDESO, the sole state-owned company responsible for electricity production and distribution in Burundi, the outages are mainly due to torrential rains, which caused several wooden electricity poles to fall. The population is now demanding the installation of stronger and more durable metal poles.

REGIDESO confirms the outage and assures that repair work is underway, without providing a specific date for full restoration. The lack of a timetable fuels anger and mistrust among residents, who denounce insufficient promises in the face of their suffering.

A social and economic emergency

While the districts of Kirundo and Busoni are particularly affected, the energy crisis is not isolated : repeated outages affect the entire Burundian territory, including the commercial capital of Bujumbura, where UN agencies and the central administration are located.

Between disrupted daily life, paralyzed economic activity, and disorganized social services, the population is demanding an urgent and sustainable response to prevent the darkness from continuing to plunge the region into distress.