Burunga : a young man suspected of being executed by police after a shooting in Rukoma

SOS Médias Burundi

Burunga, May 24, 2026 — One month after a violent shooting on the Rukoma sub-village in Matana district, Burunga province, southern Burundi, many questions remain unanswered regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of a police officer and the disappearance of a young man who was wounded and then arrested by security forces. The case, linked to an operation against suspected fuel oil trafficking from the Jiji-Murembwe hydroelectric dam construction site, was followed by mass arrests and accusations of extrajudicial killings targeting members of the security forces. Human rights defenders are calling for clarification on the young man’s fate and an independent investigation.

According to several local sources, the events reportedly took place on the night of April 25, 2026, around 11:00 PM. Four police officers from the station in the former town center of the Songa district reportedly arrived discreetly in Rukoma to arrest residents suspected of involvement in trafficking stolen fuel oil from the Jiji-Murembwe dam construction site.

According to these accounts, the operation was carried out without any apparent coordination with the police unit usually assigned to the area, which raised questions among the residents. The police officers reportedly intercepted several motorcycles transporting contraband fuel.

According to the information gathered, the situation escalated after a dispute between the police and the traffickers over a sum of money that the officers allegedly demanded to allow the shipment to pass.

When the smugglers refused to hand over the fuel, the police reportedly attempted to seize it by force, sparking a violent altercation in which residents who had come to support the traffickers became involved, some armed with machetes.

In the ensuing chaos, a police officer identified as Jean-Marie was reportedly disarmed and then killed at the scene after his weapon was allegedly taken from him.

During the violence, a resident known as Clovis, identified by several witnesses as the one who allegedly took the officer’s weapon, was seriously wounded in the arm.

According to local sources, he reportedly went to the Rumeza health center on his own motorcycle to receive treatment. However, given the severity of his injuries, the medical staff decided to transfer him to the Matana hospital. Fearing arrest there, Clovis allegedly continued on to the Kibuye hospital in Gitega province (central Burundi), hoping to receive treatment more discreetly.

Meanwhile, the Burunga provincial police reportedly launched a major search operation targeting Clovis and several other people suspected of participating in the clashes.

According to some police sources and family members, Clovis was arrested the following day at the Kibuye hospital before being taken to the Matana hospital. He reportedly remained there only briefly. The police then claimed to have transferred him to a police hospital in Bujumbura, Burundi’s commercial capital.

But several testimonies from police sources claim that Clovis never reached the hospital. He was allegedly executed shortly after his arrest.

Most troubling, according to his family, is that the authorities then told them Clovis had “escaped,” a version deemed difficult to believe given the severity of his injuries and the security measures deployed.

Following these events, a large-scale police operation was reportedly carried out in Taba village, particularly in the Rukoma sub-village. Residents who were unable to flee were arrested in large numbers.

Witnesses claim that those arrested included pregnant women, elderly people, and many young people. Some were reportedly transported in police vehicles, sitting beneath the officers’ feet, before being taken to the Burunga prosecutor’s office cell.

Other residents reportedly chose to flee for fear of being arrested. To date, the exact number of people arrested remains unknown.

Adding to this are statements attributed to the provincial commissioner of Burunga during a security meeting held the day after the incident.

According to several consistent accounts, he reportedly stated that he did not understand why the police officers had not “at least killed four civilians” to avenge their colleague.

This meeting, held the day after the incident, has since fueled strong local reactions.

Several human rights defenders are now calling on the police authorities to reveal Clovis’s whereabouts or, if he is dead, to publicly disclose what happened to him.

They reiterate that the death penalty has been abolished in Burundi and that anyone suspected of a crime must be brought to justice rather than executed without trial.

In the Burunga region, residents believe that if Clovis’s death is confirmed, this case will add to a long list of accusations of extrajudicial killings involving members of the security forces in southern Burundi.