Bubanza: district administrator Jérémie Simbagoye suspended for violation of the district law

SOS Médias Burundi

Bubanza, November 1, 2025 — The Minister of the Interior, Community Development, and Public Security has suspended Jérémie Simbagoye, administrator of the Bubanza district in Bujumbura province, western Burundi, for violating Article 45, paragraph 6, of the decree on the district administrative organization.

This provision stipulates the suspension of an administrator “in cases of corruption, incompetence, duly established embezzlement of funds, or scandalous behavior.”

The ministerial order, signed on October 31, 2025, entrusts the Governor of Bujumbura Province with the task of ensuring the implementation of this measure.

According to information gathered by SOS Médias Burundi, this suspension follows an incident that occurred on October 27, 2025, in the Ntamba zone, where Jérémie Simbagoye allegedly attempted to prevent a youth cooperative supported by the Youth Economic Empowerment and Employment Program (PAEEJ) from extracting minerals.

He also reportedly tried to have the head of this cooperative arrested before the intervention of the Minister of Mines, the Governor of Bujumbura, and even the President of the Republic, Évariste Ndayishimiye.

During the national prayer session on October 30, 2025, in Nyanza, in the south of the country, President Ndayishimiye strongly condemned administration officials who are hindering the national development.

“Those who are blocking Burundi’s progress by preventing our youth from working for the good of the nation will be held accountable,” declared the Head of State.

Significantly, Jérémie Simbagoye is the first district administrator to be suspended since the last elections. He had been presented to the people of Bubanza on September 25, 2025, by the President of the Republic himself, a sign of the initial trust placed in him.

His suspension, which occurred barely a month later, illustrates the government’s firm stance against the behavior deemed contrary to the country’s interests, particularly in the strategic sector of mining.

Before the current legislature, several administration officials had been arrested for similar offenses before being reinstated or promoted to other positions, which sparked criticism regarding President Évariste Ndayishimiye’s commitment to fighting corruption within the public administration.