Kobero-Bujumbura : two men disappear, $50,000, and a mysterious interception at the heart of questions

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, August 20, 2026 — Two men from Butanyerera province in northern Burundi have been missing since August 12, 2026, while traveling to Bujumbura, the commercial capital and home to several United Nations agencies and a large part of the country’s central administration. Their families claim they were intercepted by unidentified individuals and say they have searched for their loved ones in several detention centers without obtaining any information about their fate.

Jean Bosco Nshimirimana and Hermès Rukerandanga are from the Ntega and Bugabira zones, respectively, in Kirundo district, Butanyerera province.

A disappearance amid disturbing testimonies

According to several accounts gathered from the families, the two men were intercepted a few kilometers from the area commonly known as “Kwa Muswahili,” not far from the presidential palace “Kwa Ntare,” officially called Ntare Rushatsi House, the headquarters of the Presidency of the Republic of Burundi in Bujumbura.

According to these same accounts, the individuals involved are suspected of belonging to the National Intelligence Service (SNR) and were wearing police uniforms.

However, this information could not be independently verified. At this stage, no official source has publicly commented on the fate of the two men or the exact circumstances of their disappearance.

A meeting at the Kobero border

According to information provided by the families, Jean Bosco Nshimirimana was returning from Rwanda, while Hermès Rukerandanga had traveled to Dar es Salaam, in neighboring Tanzania, to collect his vehicle.

The port of Dar es Salaam is one of the main maritime gateways to landlocked Burundi and is widely used for shipping goods into the country.

The two men reportedly met at the Burundi-Tanzania border crossing at Kobero. Since the closure of the land border between Burundi and Rwanda, decided by Burundian authorities in January 2024 amid tensions between Gitega and Kigali, Kobero, on the Burundi-Tanzania border, has become an important crossing point for Burundian travelers heading to Rwanda.

Following their meeting, the two men reportedly decided to continue their journey together to Bujumbura.

According to the same sources, they were traveling in the vehicle of Jean Bosco Nshimirimana, described by his relatives as a money changer. Hermès Rukerandanga’s vehicle was supposed to be driven by someone else.

A large sum of money mentioned

Jean Bosco Nshimirimana’s family claims that he was in possession of an estimated US$50,000 at the time of his disappearance.

According to these same sources, information concerning this large sum of money has been circulating since Kobero, on the Burundi-Tanzania border.

The family believes this lead should be investigated to determine if it could be linked to the disappearance of the two men.

“We request that this information regarding the money be verified and that investigators determine if it could be related to their disappearance,” a family source stated.

This information, as well as the circumstances of the interception and disappearance of the two men, could not be independently verified.

Searches in Bujumbura prisons

Families report having searched various prisons in Bujumbura, including locations they attribute to the intelligence services, without success in finding their loved ones.

“We need to know where our loved ones are and what has happened to them. If they are held somewhere, we need to know their whereabouts,” plead the family members.

Faced with this situation, the relatives are calling on the authorities to conduct thorough, independent, and impartial investigations to establish the circumstances of their disappearances and identify any potential culprits.

Disappearances that worry human rights defenders

The cases of Jean Bosco Nshimirimana and Hermès Rukerandanga come amid ongoing human rights organizations documenting abductions, disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and acts of torture in Burundi.

SOS Médias Burundi has documented several cases in recent years, including people abducted and later found dead in circumstances that remain unclear, and detainees found in a worrying condition after being held in detention facilities.

In the context of ongoing tensions between Burundi and Rwanda, arrests and detentions of Burundian citizens suspected of having ties to Rwanda have also been reported. Businessmen, ordinary citizens, and even members or activists of the CNDD-FDD who had traveled to Rwanda have also been arrested or detained, some of these cases occurring amid suspicion towards individuals considered close to Kigali.

One case documented by SOS Médias Burundi in the Nyanza-Lac region of southern Burundi was particularly concerning : a man was arrested in a market for wearing a T-shirt bearing the slogan “Visit Rwanda.”

These various cases, however, do not establish a link between the documented precedents and the disappearances of Jean Bosco Nshimirimana and Hermès Rukerandanga.

Repeated calls to end abuses

Human rights organizations continue to call on the Burundian authorities to end arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and acts of torture, and to guarantee that anyone arrested is detained in an official facility and can benefit from the safeguards provided by law.

The Catholic bishops of Burundi also recently expressed their concerns about the situation in the country. Meeting in plenary assembly from June 1 to 5 in Bujumbura, they presented a worrying assessment of the socio-economic and institutional situation in the country and denounced abusive detentions.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi, Fortuné Gaëtan Zongo, is also monitoring the human rights situation in the country. In his reports and interventions, the Special Rapporteur’s mandate focuses in particular on human rights violations and the measures needed to improve protection. Information concerning arbitrary arrests, prolonged detentions, acts of torture, and enforced disappearances has been reported, implicating security service agents and the Imbonerakure, the youth wing of the CNDD-FDD.

International and Burundian human rights organizations regularly call on the authorities to investigate reported violations and combat impunity.

Families demand their protection

The families of Jean Bosco Nshimirimana and Hermès Rukerandanga also demand that the two men be protected if they are indeed in the hands of any individuals or services.

“Our first demand is that they be protected wherever they are. We want them found alive and for their rights to be respected,” the families insist.

In the absence of official communication, the exact circumstances of the disappearance of Jean Bosco Nshimirimana and Hermès Rukerandanga remain unclear. Their families are calling for the search to continue in order to find the two men and shed full light on their disappearance.