Storm in Bubanza : houses, bridges, and crops heavily damaged

SOS Médias Burundi

Bubanza, December 28, 2025 – Bubanza was struck by a violent storm on the night of December 27, 2025. Houses with roofs torn off, bridges damaged, and crops ravaged : hundreds of families are now homeless.

Heavy rains accompanied by particularly strong winds struck the district of Bubanza, in Bujumbura province, western Burundi, starting at 11:00 p.m. The villages of Bubanza Centre and Giko are among the hardest hit by this disaster of considerable magnitude.

According to initial assessments, more than 250 houses have had their roofs torn off or have been completely destroyed. The villages of Bubanza Centre and Giko alone account for over 210 damaged homes. Sheets of corrugated iron, torn off by the violent winds, litter the ground, often beyond repair, while several houses have completely collapsed. Two bridges and a church also suffered significant damage, disrupting traffic and local community life.

The consequences of these storms are not limited to infrastructure. Dozens of hectares of cornfields, rice paddies, and banana plantations have been ravaged by torrential rains. Numerous fruit trees have also been violently shaken by the winds, some uprooted, further jeopardizing the livelihoods of the affected populations.

Faced with the scale of the damage, the local administration is sounding the alarm. After an initial assessment and a preliminary count of the losses, she is calling on neighbors and local communities to show immediate solidarity, pending a broader intervention from authorities and humanitarian partners.

For their part, the affected families are making an urgent appeal for help from benefactors. With rain continuing to fall almost daily, their vulnerability is worsening, making assistance in the form of shelter, food, and basic necessities urgent.

The situation remains worrying in this part of Bujumbura province, where humanitarian needs remain critical.