Bujumbura : a woman found dead on the shores of Lake Tanganyika

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, November 3, 2025 — The lifeless body of 48-year-old Appolonie Ndayisaba, from Gihinga village, Nyabihanga district, Gitega Province, was found on Sunday on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Her family reports that the deceased, who had been missing since the previous Friday, was found in a state of decomposition. The body was transferred to the morgue at Tanganyika Care Hospital in the commercial city of Bujumbura.

According to her family, Appolonie had come to visit relatives in the Gisyo neighborhood, Kanyosha zone, Mugere district, south of Bujumbura. On Friday, she went out for a walk but did not return. On Saturday morning, her family launched a missing person appeal on social media and WhatsApp, without success.

The body was found on Sunday morning by the lake, bearing visible injuries. The family accuses some local criminals of being involved and is calling on the authorities to increase security in the area.

In the Gisyo neighborhood, young people affiliated with the ruling CNDD-FDD party conduct unsupervised nighttime patrols. Residents accuse them of violence against those returning home late.