Bubanza : gunfire at the presidential palace, a soldier wounded in an altercation

SOS Médias Burundi

Bubanza, September 2, 2026—An exchange of gunfire between two soldiers assigned to the security of the presidential palace in Bubanza, Bujumbura province, western Burundi, left one soldier wounded overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday. The shots, fired around midnight, caused panic in the city center. The exact circumstances of the incident remain unclear.

According to several sources contacted by SOS Médias Burundi, the incident began after the late arrival of a security officer. A verbal altercation reportedly broke out between him and another soldier assigned to palace security.

After the exchange, the officer allegedly went to collect a weapon before returning to the scene. He then reportedly opened fire on his colleague, but missed. The latter reportedly returned fire and hit him in the thigh.

The two shots quickly shattered the calm that reigned that night in downtown Bubanza. Some residents contacted initially thought the shots came from Bubanza prison, where gunfire is sometimes heard during escape attempts.

Following the incident, passersby were reportedly detained and roughed up by security personnel. The reasons for these detentions and the ensuing violence were not clearly established Wednesday morning.

The wounded soldier reportedly received initial treatment at Bubanza Hospital. Measures were then reportedly taken within the palace security detail. However, no official statement confirming the circumstances of the incident was available Wednesday.

A second shooting at the palace

According to information gathered, this is the second incident involving live ammunition at the palace since the deployment of this guard.

The first incident occurred on April 29, 2025, the day after the triple tragedy at the New Star bar, located near the presidential palace. A police officer, Jean Claude Bizimana, alias “Kirenge,” shot and killed his colleague Égide Bashirahishize, alias “Vubi,” as well as Léa Nijimbere, a young employee of the bar, before taking his own life. Following this shooting, the bar was closed by order of local authorities on April 30, 2025, and has not yet reopened.

In this new incident, no official information had yet been released on Wednesday to definitively establish the cause of the exchange of fire. The exact circumstances of this altercation between the two soldiers assigned to guard the presidential palace in Bubanza remain unclear.