Gitega : a man stabbed to death after being brutally beaten in Bugendana, a suspect arrested

SOS Médias Burundi

Gitega, August 29, 2026—A 35-year-old man was killed on the night of Friday, August 28, 2026, in Gerangabo village, in the district of Bugendana, Gitega province, in central Burundi.

According to a witness, the incident occurred around 10:00 PM, when Dieudonné Nizigiyimana, 35 years old, was brutally beaten before being stabbed to death. The victim was reportedly killed as he was returning from a pre-dowry event held at the home of Jean Claude Barakamfitiye.

This information was confirmed by Barthélémy Bankuwunguka, chief of Gerangabo village. According to him, Dieudonné Nizigiyimana was returning from this event when he was attacked and killed “like an animal.”

A suspect arrested after the murder

According to the chief of Gerangabo village, the alleged perpetrator of the murder is known. It is Floribert Habumukiza, who was apprehended after the crime.

The suspect was then taken to the police station in Mutaho for questioning.

Barthélémy Bankuwunguka claims to be unaware of the motives for the murder at this stage. He indicates, however, that investigations are underway to determine the exact circumstances and reasons for this act.

Faced with this murder, the residents of Gerangabo village are demanding that Dieudonné Nizigiyimana receive justice and that the suspect be tried in a summary proceeding.

A series of deaths amid growing human rights concerns

This is the fifth person killed in less than a week, since August 24, 2026, in Gitega province, and the third in Bugendana, according to information gathered by SOS Médias Burundi.

Since the beginning of the year, approximately 90 people have reportedly been killed or found dead in Gitega province, in central Burundi, according to a count compiled from cases reported by various sources.

These new cases come as Burundian and international human rights organizations regularly raise the alarm about the increasing number of killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and cases of torture in the country. They also denounce the impunity enjoyed by some alleged perpetrators and call on the authorities to open credible investigations and bring those responsible to justice.

The Catholic bishops of Burundi have also repeatedly expressed their concern about the violence, disappearances, and killings reported in the country. They have called for respect for human life, the strengthening of the justice system, and an end to impunity.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burundi has also raised concerns, particularly regarding extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, torture, and impunity.

Burundian authorities reject the accusations

Burundian authorities regularly reject accusations of systematic human rights violations and dispute certain findings of human rights organizations and United Nations mechanisms.

The government maintains that peace and security have been restored in the country and that the judicial institutions are functioning normally. The authorities also call on the population to cooperate with the defense and security forces, the administration, and the judiciary in the fight against crime.

In Gitega, the authorities have not yet made a public statement regarding the three deaths reported in recent days in Bugendana.

Residents are now waiting for investigations to establish responsibility and for those implicated to be brought to justice.