Rumonge : 2,700 children drop out of school, opening the road to human trafficking

SOS Médias Burundi

Rumonge, March 5, 2026 – Since the start of the 2025-2026 school year, the district of Rumonge, in Burunga province, in the south of the small east African nation, has been hit by an alarming wave of school dropouts. Nearly 2,700 pupils have reportedly left school to look for work abroad, primarily in Tanzania. Education authorities are denouncing a possible human trafficking network targeting the most vulnerable families.

A silent hemorrhage in schools

The alert was raised by a school official in the district of Rumonge, contacted by SOS Médias Burundi and requesting anonymity. According to him, nearly 2,700 pupils have already left school since the start of the 2025-2026 academic year.

“These children take off their school uniforms hoping for a better tomorrow,” laments this education official, highlighting the scale of the exodus from schools in the region.

Deceptive promises and a well-ordered trap

According to this source, unidentified individuals roam the neighborhoods and villages of Rumonge, trying to convince pupils, primarily from impoverished families, to leave school. They promise them well-paid jobs in Tanzania or Mozambique, with transportation costs covered and support provided until they reach their destination.

But behind these enticing promises lies an organized network akin to human trafficking, an offense severely punished under the Burundian penal code.

Vulnerable families targeted

The recruiters primarily target families living in precarious situations. Faced with persistent economic hardship, some succumb to the temptation of leaving, which seems to offer an alternative to poverty.

Yet, the risks are enormous : economic exploitation, forced labor, precarious living conditions, and even the outright disappearance of children who leave without legal protection.

Call for police intervention

The school official is urging the Rumonge police to act quickly to identify and arrest the suspected perpetrators.

“This is human trafficking in disguise. We cannot remain silent while ourpupils disappear,” he insists.

A major challenge for the future

Beyond the numbers, this wave of school dropouts raises a crucial question : what future awaits a generation that prematurely leaves the education system?

The case of Rumonge is not isolated. Throughout Burundi, including in the Bujumbura region, home to the commercial capital where UN agencies and the central administration are concentrated, school dropouts are reaching alarming levels, often tens of thousands per year, primarily affecting primary school children. The main causes are extreme poverty, the search for seasonal work, hunger, and early pregnancies.

If nothing is done quickly, the country risks losing an entire generation, further weakening the social fabric and jeopardizing national efforts in education and child protection.