Burundi – State media journalist “Le Renouveau du Burundi” targeted while reporting in Makamba

SOS Médias Burundi

Burundi, November 20, 2025 – This Tuesday, at the Makamba warehouse, the town of Burundi’s southern province, Léonard Maroha, a correspondent for the State media outlet Le Renouveau du Burundi, was targeted while covering the distribution of agricultural inputs.

The journalist was accosted and harassed by Dieudonné Irakoze, a member of the CNDD-FDD youth wing, the Imbonerakure, who was overseeing the activity. Irakoze attempted to forcibly take Maroha into the warehouse and demanded the immediate deletion of the photos Maroha had taken. The warehouse manager opposed the intrusion, preventing the incident from escalating.

Several residents present at the scene explained that some Imbonerakure members tasked with overseeing these distributions were demanding bribes to allow certain beneficiaries to obtain large quantities of supplies, while others left empty-handed. Some even diverted the quantities intended for their neighborhoods or villages to resell them to traders, fueling an opaque network that benefits a privileged few.

“They wanted to cover up the shady dealings they were committing,” confided one witness.

Faced with this threat, the journalist contacted the governor of Burunga, Parfait Mboninyibuka, who reportedly contacted the prosecutor at the Makamba Court of Appeal, Armand Bisesere, to open an investigation and bring the Imbonerakure to trial. However, administration authorities and CNDD-FDD officials allegedly intervened to suppress the case and favor an “amicable settlement.”

For press freedom advocates, this incident demonstrates once again the desire of certain actors to silence journalists. In a context where the distribution of supplies is already tainted by favoritism, embezzlement, and extortion, the attack on Léonard Maroha reveals a system that rejects all transparency.