RTNB : from public service to CNDD-FDD mouthpiece

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, September 10, 2026 — Burundi’s National Radio and Television (RTNB)—funded by public money and ostensibly serving all citizens—is increasingly accused of acting in the service of the government and the CNDD-FDD. From live broadcasts of the ruling party’s major rallies and coverage of specific political activities to restrictions imposed on reporters during overseas assignments, many journalists are denouncing a trend that is gradually transforming the public broadcaster into a mouthpiece for the ruling party. This shift has reignited concerns regarding the independence of Burundian media, which has been severely compromised since the 2015 crisis.

The issue of journalistic independence in Burundi has not been this critical since the 2015 crisis, sparked by the late President Pierre Nkurunziza’s controversial third term. That crisis drove around a hundred journalists into exile following the destruction of several independent radio stations—notably through rocket attacks on their facilities.

While the national television has always been under the control and influence of the government and the CNDD-FDD—a former Hutu rebel group that became the ruling party in 2005—the public radio had long maintained a degree of independence in its news coverage. However, that era now seems increasingly distant.

Over the years, according to several journalists and editorial staff interviewed by SOS Médias Burundi, the RTNB has become a media outlet increasingly aligned with the government.

Imbonerakure Day : a symbolic event

For many journalists, the live broadcast on Saturday, August 29, 2026, of the tenth edition of “Imbonerakure Day”—an event dedicated to the Imbonerakure, the CNDD-FDD’s youth wing—serves as a particularly telling example of this trend.

According to our sources, the ruling party paid no fees for the broadcast of this event. Several other rallies and activities organized by the CNDD-FDD are also regularly broadcast by the RTNB, sometimes live.

“Under normal circumstances, the CNDD-FDD should be treated like any other political party—on an equal footing. But it has become a ‘party-state’,” laments an editorial manager contacted by SOS Médias Burundi.

For many journalists, the issue is therefore no longer just about the coverage of the ruling party’s activities, but about the prominence given to the party within a media outlet funded primarily by public money.

Controversial per diem allowances

Other internal practices are also fueling unease among RTNB reporters.

When a journalist is sent to a location or province outside Bujumbura—the commercial capital where RTNB’s management is based—they normally receive a per diem allowance of 100,000 Burundian francs.

However, according to several reporters, for certain activities organized by the CNDD-FDD, the party covers travel expenses directly. Consequently, the amount paid to the journalist by the RTNB is cut in half.

“You are contributing to the party in your own way,” some officials from the former Hutu rebel movement reportedly taunt when reporters demand full payment of their allowances.

Journalists denounce these practices, arguing that they create a situation of dependency on the ruling party when reporters cover its activities.

Increasingly limited international assignments

Restrictions also apply to assignments abroad.

Since President Évariste Ndayishimiye took office in June 2020, several RTNB journalists have noted a shift in the composition of the teams accompanying high-ranking Burundian officials on official trips.

According to sources close to the matter, trips to the United States, Canada, and several European countries are primarily reserved for the radio and television directors, accompanied by the technical director, who notably performs the role of cameraman.

The measure was subsequently extended, according to these same sources, to travel to China as well as to countries in Central and Latin America.

RTNB officials explain this policy, according to the sources interviewed, as a way to prevent reporters sent abroad from seeking asylum in the countries they visit.

This justification is contested by several journalists and press freedom advocates, who consider this practice a further restriction on their work.

“What’s really painful is that at the local level, these people never get to report,” laments a veteran journalist. According to him, RTNB “is nothing more than a tool of the government.”

An independence already fragile

The current situation is part of a broader decline in the Burundian media landscape since the 2015 crisis.

Following the protests against Pierre Nkurunziza’s third term, several independent media outlets were attacked or destroyed. Journalists fled the country, while others ceased operations.

RTNB, which operates a national radio and television network, has thus maintained a central role in providing Burundians with access to information.

Its status as a public broadcaster, however, confers upon it a particular responsibility : to inform the entire population and not to serve the interests of a political party.

The influence of the CNDD-FDD

The CNDD-FDD, a former Hutu-dominated rebellion that became a political party, has ruled Burundi since 2005. Évariste Ndayishimiye succeeded Pierre Nkurunziza, who died unexpectedly on June 8, 2020, a few weeks before the scheduled transfer of power.

Since taking office, the new president has expressed his desire to improve Burundi’s image and to further open up the political and media landscape. However, according to several journalists interviewed by SOS Médias Burundi, the practices observed at RTNB (the national broadcaster) remain marked by a strong connection to the ruling party.

For these professionals, the central question now is that of the true independence of a media outlet whose operations depend largely on public funding.

A ranking that remains concerning

This situation is part of a media environment that Reporters Without Borders (RSF) continues to consider challenging in Burundi. In its 2026 World Press Freedom Index, Burundi ranks 119th out of 180 countries, with a score of 46.14 points, compared to 125th place in 2025. The country has thus gained six places, but this progress does not mean a significant improvement in the media environment.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) believes that the environment remains “very hostile” to the practice of journalism in Burundi. The organization also describes RTNB (the national broadcaster) as a media outlet with a large audience but “completely aligned” with the defense and promotion of the regime.

In the Great Lakes region, Burundi is ranked behind Tanzania (117th) but ahead of the Democratic Republic of Congo (130th) and Rwanda (139th).

For the journalists interviewed by SOS Médias Burundi, this data reinforces a question that has become central : how can a taxpayer-funded media outlet fully play its role as a public service while its news coverage is perceived as increasingly aligned with the ruling party?

At RTNB, several reporters believe that the line between public media and a tool of the government’s communication is becoming increasingly blurred.