Muyinga : twelve pupils hospitalized after mysterious poisoning at Rugari Secondary School

SOS Médias Burundi

Muyinga, April 23, 2026 — Twelve seventh-grade girls from Rugari Secondary School, located in Buhumuza Province, northeastern Burundi, were hospitalized at Muyinga Hospital after exhibiting alarming symptoms, causing considerable concern within the school community and among their families.

According to sources close to the school, the possibility of poisoning circulated in the hours following the incident. Although not officially confirmed, this theory quickly fueled anxieties surrounding this group of pupils.

According to school officials, the pupils were initially treated at health centers near Rugari Secondary School. Faced with the deterioration of their health, they were subsequently transferred to Muyinga Hospital for more specialized care.

The principal of Rugari Secondary School, however, rejects the theory of poisoning and favors the theory of food poisoning linked to food consumed outside the school.

“We believe these pupils ate contaminated doughnuts outside the school,” he stated, while announcing a strengthening of supervisory measures to prevent this type of incident.

According to medical sources, the pupils’ health is showing gradual and encouraging, albeit slow, improvement. The twelve patients remain under close observation, and initial medical findings confirm the food poisoning hypothesis.

Health authorities are continuing their investigations to determine the precise origin of this incident. While awaiting the final results of the analyses, school and health officials are urging calm and vigilance to avoid any speculation.