Burundi : 17 years later, Olucome still demands justice for Ernest Manirumva

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, April 11, 2026 — Seventeen years after the assassination of Ernest Manirumva, Olucome continues to denounce the inaction of the Burundian justice system. At a press conference held on Thursday, its president, Gabriel Rufyiri, criticized the lack of political will to shed full light on this emblematic crime.

A justice system accused of inaction

Speaking to the media, Gabriel Rufyiri stated that the justice system of this small East African nation has never demonstrated a genuine commitment to solving Manirumva’s murder. He called on the judicial authorities to redouble their efforts so that the truth may finally be known, not only for the victim’s family, but also for all human rights defenders.

“It is regrettable to see people killed without the truth being established,” he lamented, recalling that Burundi is a signatory to several international human rights conventions, which are also enshrined in the Constitution.

A case at a standstill

Olucome asserts that the investigation has made no significant progress for several years. The organization even indicates that it has decided to withdraw from a commission established to investigate the case, believing that it has been “suppressed.”

The observatory notes that the deceased was not only vice-president of Olucome, but also a member of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ARMP) and an economics expert, recognized for his analyses of the country’s economic management.

Persistent threats against human rights defenders

Beyond the Manirumva case, the organization is concerned about other unsolved disappearances among its members. Arcade Butoyi has been missing for six years, while Charlotte Murwaneza remains untraceable to this day.

According to Olucome, these cases reinforce a climate of insecurity and impunity targeting those involved in the fight against corruption.

An assassination with sensitive ramifications

Ernest Manirumva was killed on the night of April 8-9, 2009, in the commercial capital, Bujumbura. His assassination, widely considered targeted, was attributed to elements of the Burundian intelligence services.

According to revelations by exiled activist Pacifique Nininahazwe, the victim was investigating an alleged arms trafficking operation involving official Burundian channels and armed groups operating in the region.

The FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu armed group, some of whose members are accused of participating in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis, are regularly cited in these security dynamics. Active primarily in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, some of their leaders or supporters are also reportedly present in Bujumbura, according to several reports.

These same sources mention occasional collaboration between these rebels and the FDNB, in a regional context marked by persistent tensions.

Among the investigations conducted, that of the FBI—the main US federal agency responsible for criminal investigations and domestic intelligence—has shed significant light on the matter. Under the authority of the US Department of Justice, the FBI specializes in combating terrorism, organized crime, cybercrime, and counterintelligence.

Reports by United Nations experts have also implicated certain high-ranking officers in the police and the National Intelligence Service (SNR), at the time under the command of General Adolphe Nshimirimana, who was killed in August 2015 in a rocket attack in Kamenge.

Persistent regional tensions

This context has contributed to the deterioration of relations between Burundi and Rwanda. Burundian authorities accuse Kigali of supporting the coup plotters involved in the May 2015 coup attempt in Burundi.

In the wake of these tensions, Burundi closed its land borders with Rwanda, illustrating a lasting diplomatic crisis between the two neighboring countries.

Call for international recourse

Faced with the legal impasse, Olucome does not rule out taking the case to regional courts if no progress is made. The organization insists on the need to end impunity and restore confidence in judicial institutions.

Seventeen years after the crime, the Ernest Manirumva case remains one of the most striking symbols of the obstruction of justice in the small East African nation.