Makamba : a woman in her sixties brutally attacked after defying impunity

SOS Médias Burundi

Makamba, April 27, 2026 — In Burunga province, southern Burundi, a woman in her sixties claims she was violently attacked amid ongoing tensions related to a murder that occurred in late 2025. Like other residents, she denounces acts of violence, harassment, and reprisals targeting people perceived as close to the victim’s family, against a backdrop of accusations of impunity and failures in the protection of civilians.

In Makamba district, in the Kizingoma village of ​​Burunga province, a woman over 60 years old claims to be the victim of harassment, violence, and exclusion at the hands of certain local administrative officials and influential members of the ruling party, the CNDD-FDD.

Known as Anastasie Gakobwa, this woman in her sixties says she was seriously injured in the eye on Wednesday evening. According to eyewitness accounts, she was attacked around 8 p.m. in a local bar by a man known as the head of ten households, commonly called “Nyumbakumi,” identified as Nyabenda.

According to these same sources, the man threw a rock at her face after making threats, notably declaring that “bad luck doesn’t strike twice.” The impact severely damaged her eye, causing serious concern among her family about the possibility of blindness.

Several residents indicate that Anastasie Gakobwa has been targeted since she expressed her support for the family of Victor Niyonzima, whose son, Boris Niyonzima, was killed in late 2025 under controversial circumstances.

According to local sources, the young man, who was preparing to start a family, was allegedly killed by individuals identified as members of the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the CNDD-FDD party, with suspicions also pointing to the involvement of some local officials. These allegations have not been confirmed by the authorities.

Following this tragedy, seven people were arrested, including the chief of Kizingoma village, a local CNDD-FDD official, and several Imbonerakure members. However, after nearly two months in detention, they were released by the Makamba First Instance Court.

Residents allege that pressure was exerted on the judiciary by certain activists of the ruling party to secure the release of the suspects. Again, this information could not be independently verified.

Since this incident, Anastasie Gakobwa says she has been living in difficult circumstances. She says she has been excluded from several essential services in the village area, including access to certain shops and agricultural inputs that she has already paid for. She also denounces various forms of discrimination.

Victor Niyonzima’s family, for their part, claims they continue to suffer reprisals, including the destruction of property, attacks on livestock, and acts of agricultural sabotage, such as the spreading of salt in the fields, as well as repeated intimidation.

After the attack, Anastasie Gakobwa filed a police report. According to her relatives, the person she accuses turned themselves in to the authorities before being released, which fuels a sense of impunity within the community.

The family indicates that they have repeatedly approached the authorities since Boris Niyonzima’s death. On January 13, 2026, a letter was reportedly sent to the provincial police commissioner of Makamba, with copies to, among others, the governor of Burunga, Parfait Mboninyibuka, the Makamba district administrator, Prosper Bizimana, and the Kabuye zone chief, requesting protective measures.

According to their testimonies, no concrete response has yet been received to stop the threats.

Faced with this situation, Anastasie Gakobwa and the Niyonzima family are appealing to the relevant authorities, human rights organizations, and the civil society to ensure their safety and to fully investigate these events.